The Unnormal
by Hejin57
Summary: The time has come for the Gravitystock '69 Revival! But as Grunkle Stan prepares for a nostalgic trip back to the past, Mabel discovers ghosts haunting the old Gravitystock grounds. And when she becomes unlikely friends with one ghost girl, things start getting very complicated. Just how far is she willing to go for unnormal friendship? And, is it really worth it in the end?
1. Part 1

**And look who's back with a new story! Me, that's who! :D**

**Eh, I couldn't resist. Gravity Falls is a fun series to write about, and I came up with some ideas in the last week, so now it's time to put them on the page. This time, we have a more Mabel-centric story! **

**_An important note_: my stories don't really deal with the overall series mythology involving the journals and Grunkle Stan, but rather are more like episodes like Legend of the Gobblewonker and Double Dipper. They are one time things that will almost always get fully resolved by the end. This is mostly because I don't like touching the main series story, because it really is just too good to tamper with.**

**For those who don't know, this story is a sort of direct sequel (a few days later) to my last story, Grow Up or Go Home. You don't necessarily have to read that to read this, as this is a sort of stand-alone Monster-of-the-Week type story, but it might help to get some of the references from the last story. (like Wendy's affection towards Dipper, his time as a teenager, Robbie's attitude)  
**

**Speaking of that, yes, that was X-Files jargon. For those familiar with that series, they'll be some references to that for sure, as Alex Hirsch stated multiple times it was a major inspiration for Gravity Falls. In fact, the title itself is a reference to the episode "The Unnatural" from season six, and it borrows elements of that plot.**

**But I'm not going to ruin it for y'all. You'll just have to read it for yourself. So I do hope you read, review and enjoy!**

* * *

_**~Hejin57~**_

**THE UNNORMAL**

* * *

"You know what the great thing about memories is, kids?" Grunkle Stan began, leaning on his eight-ball cane as he illustriously looked on towards the horizon. The way he was standing and the tone of his voice might make one think he was almost talking to himself.

"What, Grunkle Stan?" Mabel asked, before pulling hard as a weed finally came up from the choked earth. She could feel sweat starting to come through her sweater, and more than anything, she longed for a nice, cold shower. Beside her, Waddles seemed to have the time of his life as he munched on every weed that Mabel had managed to pull out so far.

"The great thing about memories..." Grunkle Stan began, as he watched his niece, nephew, and two principal workers continue in their arduous task of pulling up weeds from the disused lawn that was only a small part of this large picnic-ground. "...is that no matter how much they suck, or how much they hurt, they're just like birthmarks. They're with you forever!"

"Grunkle Stan," Dipper said in a clearly frustrated tone, wiping the sweat away from his own forehead after pulling another weed. "What kind of advice is that? And why are we doing all this work anyway? You still haven't told us."

Instead of giving Dipper an immediate reply, Grunkle Stan said nothing for a good ten seconds, his eyes still looking out to the horizon as memories flooded back to him. Wendy even waved her hand in front of his face to see if he would respond, but to no avail.

"Holy Hendrix!" Grunkle Stan then proceeded to yell out, frightening just about everyone with his sudden outburst. Realizing where he was again, and seeing the looks on everyone's faces, Grunkle Stan simply laughed it off.

No one else seemed to think it was funny though. Clearing his throat, Stan looked on at the somewhat ramshackle stage ahead as he made his delayed response to his nephew's question.

"Well, Dipper, you're here because I'm feeling particularly lazy and nostalgic today. This is the site of Gravitystock! It was like Woodstock, but not as big, important or full as many contagious diseases! Back in the summer of '69, lots of great acts came here. You know, like The Rolling Stans, The Stan Pines Experience, Stan and the Family Pines, Stanford Airplane..."

One would have to be pretty oblivious to not realize what was happening here.

The more he talked about it, the more it was becoming increasingly clear to everyone that Stan was becoming a bit too nostalgic over this place. Nevertheless, the group listened, though they continued to pull up weeds as they did so.

"...it really was the time of my life. I mean, my life sucks now, but back then, if only you knew what it was like! The music, the people, the times. They were just something else..." Stan continued, clearly caught up into his own flashback, and eventually getting onto his knees and looking up at the sky in anguish.

"Oh, Why!? Why!? ! Why did you have to take it all away from me!? What did I ever swindle out of you, you precarious thing called life?" he screamed in supposed torment, causing everyone around him to stare, including a few people passing by on the sidewalk not too far away.

After a noticeable silence, Grunkle Stan stood up, finally realizing that he might be attracting just a bit too much attention.

"Uh, sorry about that. Anyway, the Mystery Shack's going to be hosting a Gravitystock revival next week, so I want this whole place fixed up." he said, now sounding somewhat serious, before turning his gaze to the red-haired teen and his handyman.

"Wendy and Soos; you two go fix up the stage back there. If that falls apart, I don't want to be responsible. So instead, I'm making you two responsible!" he told his two workers, adding a haughty laugh at the end.

As expected Wendy just audibly sighed while Soos whipped a hammer out of his belt.

"You got it, Mr. Pines. We won't let you down." he told his boss, with clear dedication in his tone.

"Mabel, Dipper," Stan continued, much to Mabel's displeasure. "Since you're both already sweating up a storm, you two keep just keep pulling up those weeds. And when you're done with those, pick up any trash you see lying around."

He flashed a cocky, knowing smile. "Don't throw away cans though. I've got a guy who gets me fifty cents a pop for those!"

"Grunkle Stan, this is terrible! This is just like all the child labor you hear about from back in the '70's!" Mabel complained, only to receive comfort in a pat on the head from Stan.

"That's because it is child labor! And if you keep quiet about it, I'll buy you guys ice cream later. Now you kids be good and keep at it. I feel like if I stick around any longer, I'll end up breaking into song from all the nostalgia!" he exclaimed, a statement which seemed to worry Wendy almost immediately.

"Oh, we'll take care of it for sure then, Mr. Pines! Wouldn't want to hurt your great voice with any singing!" Wendy explained, pushing him away from behind as she reassured him with a nervous grin, clearly wanting to get rid of him.

Her tactic worked wonderfully however, and before anyone knew it, Stan had gone off in the other direction, still looking up at the horizon and off in his own world.

Wendy sighed before wiping her forehead in relief. Dipper simply gave her two thumbs up while Mabel sat up against a tree, clearly out of it. It was about this time that Mabel very much regretted not wearing something underneath this blue-black sweater on such a ridiculously hot day.

"Alright, dudes, it looks like it's up to us!" Soos declared, clearly not one to just throw up away his promise to Grunkle Stan. Wendy, of course, thought otherwise.

"Yeah, I don't know about that, Soos." Wendy began, before reaching for her forehead. "Ah, I feel heatstroke coming on. I don't know if I can go on any longer..."

Although she was indeed feigning being tired, Dipper reacted a little too well. Before Wendy could say anymore, he was off and running as fast as his little legs could carry him.

"Don't worry, Wendy!" he said in-between breaths. "I'll be back with ice before you know it!"

Wendy couldn't say much in response to that, instead taking an example from Mabel as she too sat down under the comfortable shade of a tree. Unable to understand why his friends were being so utterly lazy, Soos could only look back at them with unsympathetic eyes.

"I guess this bro is the only one that keeps his word. When you dudes are ready to work, I'll be fixing that stage!" he declared, pointing at the Gravitystock stage ahead dramatically before running off towards it.

When Soos was just out of earshot, Wendy laughed to herself.

"He'll probably be at that for a while. If we're lucky, we might be able to get through the rest of the day in the shade." she commented, as Mabel smiled through her braces and enjoyed the comfort of the tree's shadow.

"You're telling me. What does Grunkle Stan think we are, his personal chain-gang?" Mabel replied, slick sweat still apparent on her forehead and nose. Her cheeks were as red as firecrackers, and that was just with the shade over her.

"I know, right?" Wendy answered, taking off her hat and putting it beside her. "I've never had to do that much work since you were the boss of the shack. And trust me, I don't plan on doing it again."

As she looked on towards the stage, Mabel couldn't help but feel somewhat bad, as she could hear Soos clearly banging around as he got to work trying to fix up the stage. He probably was sweating up a monsoon by now.

"Is he really going to do that all by himself?" Mabel asked, now feeling somewhat sympathetic for the handyman hard at work.

Wendy just put her arms behind her back and lounged against the tree, not a care in her voice. "Sure. As long as we let him."

"Wendy! I got the ice! Are you alright?" Dipper suddenly exclaimed, his breath heavy as he returned with a decently sized bag of ice. Wendy opened one eye , before sitting up in surprise as she realized that Dipper did indeed do what he said he would.

"Oh, thanks." she said, feeling somewhat bad, since she had been faking heatstroke, after all. However, Wendy was quick to reach in a moment later and pull out two handfuls of ice, rubbing them on her face and relishing in the cool sensation.

"Hey, give me some of that! It's like a volcano out here!" Mabel quickly said, snatching the ice bag away from Dipper and proceeding to put her entire head inside it. For a few seconds, Mabel seemed to enjoy the feeling of being encompassed in ice. Of course, when her cheeks started to go numb, she pulled out quickly, shivering as the cold quickly spread uncontrolled throughout her entire body.

"O-o-o-oh, that's pretty g-g-g-g-good." she told Dipper and Wendy, her teeth audibly chattering as the ice bag shook slightly in her hands.

Turning around with all the smoothness of a clockwork monkey, Mabel's conscience still reminded her of Soos, who everyone could hear was hard at work underneath the stage. Turning again with significant jarring in her movement, she slowly made a smile before heading off in Soos's direction.

"You g-g-g-g-guys st-t-t-tay here. I'll g-g-g-et this to S-s-s-s-s-soos! C-c-c-come on, W-w-w-w-waddles! " she exclaimed, her steps slow as the frigid icy sensation still permeated throughout her body. Dipper and Wendy just watched as Mabel left them, her pet pig trailing right behind her. Wendy proceeded to sigh in relaxation as the ice did its work in cooling her down.

Dipper, meanwhile, just sat down next to her, not immediately knowing what to do. Alone with her, he could only wonder if being buds with her, as she had said just a few days ago, entailed anything more than just being friendly.

"So you're feeling better now, Wendy?" he asked, somewhat nervous in doing so.

Wendy just looked to her side, euphoria very clear on her face. "You mean right now?"

Dipper could only nod, not exactly used to seeing Wendy like this.

In response, the red-headed teen leaned down, and gave Dipper a sweet kiss on the forehead. Dipper could only turn bright red before Wendy sighed happily in response to the relaxing ice.

"I'm feeling awesome, Dipper. Thanks, dude."

Dipper grinned like a madman. Clearly, things were not as bad as he might have thought, teenager or not.

"Uh, don't mention it. Glad to be of help, Wendy.

* * *

When the cold sensation finally left Mabel's body, she unfortunately was left with a new issue when she found herself unable to locate Soos. By the time she had reached the ominous, old stage, the noise of Soos's hard work had abruptly stopped.

Mabel held the bag of ice tightly in her hands, but as she stepped across the stage itself, she was quick to notice the water trail behind her, which Waddles lapped up as he followed her. Obviously, the ice was close to gone by now. Nevertheless, Mabel knew cold water would be just helpful to the hard-working Soos as well.

And so, seeing him nowhere above-ground, Mabel pushed away one of the old curtains and made her way backstage. What she was greeted by was nothing less than a noticeably creepy atmosphere.

It seemed like once inside this backstage area, all noise, save for the dripping of the water from the ice bag, had becoming foreboding silence. Mabel looked down at Waddles with an uneasy look on her face, but the pig seemed relatively calm and unafraid as he continued to lap up stray water.

"Um...Soos?" Mabel called out. She had been in the forest at night, sure, but there was something about this place that seemed all the more eerie. Before she knew it, she found herself calling out to him in a louder voice.

"Soos! Where are you? I've got lots of ice for you! We'll, it's not ice anymore, but it's some pretty cool water! Come out and get some!" she announced, hoping for a response of some kind. Instead, her voice just echoed out into the darkness. She gulped, and behind her, a gust of air signified something moving as an old broom fell over from its place on the wall.

This time, Waddles looked up from his water and squealed. His noise, coupled with the sound of movement, alarmed Mabel enough that she dropped the watery ice bag all over the ground.

"Um, is that you, Soos?" Mabel asked, her voice quite unsure. She got no response, of course.

Having been in a number of situations like this by now, Mabel looked down at her pig with suddenly serious eyes. Picking Waddles up, she focused her eyes on a pile of cardboard boxes just ahead. Putting the pig over her head, she began running with an almost crazed expression on her face.

"Onward to glory!" she exclaimed loudly, with Waddles squealing as the two crashed into the boxes and practically disappeared under the dust and refuse.

A few seconds of silence passed, before what seemed like the back of Mabel's head poked up from the refuse. She did not turn though, and just behind her, another gust of wind went off.

The air began to chill as something moved forward from the darkness. There were no footsteps, just a low hum as the air shifted and the shape reached a small hand forward. Mabel seemed unaware, perpetually staring ahead as the thing moved closer.

Finally, the hand just about reached Mabel's hair. But moments before it would touch the felt that happened to look like hair, Waddles turned, and puffed his pig cheeks before making a loud, frightened squeal.

"I don't know who you think you are, but there's no way you're sneaking up this Mabel!"

Clearly, the double trap had worked, and when Mabel stepped out the darkness just to the left of where Waddles was, she was able to get a good look at the interloper.

Standing in front of Waddles was a young girl who looked about the same age as Mabel. She had a somewhat surprised look on her face, as if she had never been sneaked up on before. Her clothing was somewhat out of place: she wore long blue overalls that were printed with a myriad of flower designs in the colors yellow, green and pink. Her hair was quite wild, and held together in the back by one large, red-handled paintbrush.

But most strange of all, was the eerie sort of blue glow emanating from her, and the way she seemed to be shimmering off the floor. In fact, the girl almost looked like she had been put through a gray-scale filter, as even the usually bright colors on her overalls were quite washed out.

Normally, Mabel might have been put off by this. But after having been through Gravity Falls and all of its mysteries and wonder to fill two lifetimes, she wasn't going to let a little weirdness get to her.

"I'm sorry..." the girl said, suddenly a bit shocked. She seemed to fidget slightly, as if simply being in the light bothered her. "I thought I...I left something here."

Mabel pointed an accusing finger as Waddles came by her side like a loyal dog. "No games! Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

The girl was caught back in an instant. She stepped back, though her footsteps made no noise. She could only whimper out her response. "Wait. I...I just came here to paint. I wasn't...I didn't mean to..."

Mabel seemed to be ignoring her words, and stepped forward with what seemed like anger in her eyes. "You what? You think you can just waltz around like that and get away with it?"

Waddles followed her diligently. The girl just backed away even more, clearly getting more and more uncomfortable with each passing second.

"I'm sorry!" she finally said, clapping her hands together in the form of an apology and putting her head down. Curiously, her hands made no noise as they came together.

Mabel's face changed completely, and the anger in her eyes disappeared. She offered a hand to the girl, clearly done with her little game.

"Oh, it's all good. I'm just messing around. I always wanted to try playing the tough guy. I'm Mabel!"

The girl didn't seem to know what to say. She was curled up against herself, and though she slowly relaxed, she didn't make it a point to reach for Mabel's outstretched hand. Instead, she looked up with cold blue eyes, still quite unsure.

"I'm...I'm Audrey. I was just going to paint something around here."

Mabel's face seemed to perk up upon hearing the mention of art. "Painting? Oh my gosh, are you an artist too!? I love art! We should totally team up and make a painted sculpture together!"

Mabel didn't realize it, of course, but her loud voice really did echo quite a bit backstage. And of course, among other things, she had totally forgotten about Soos and her quest to bring him water.

"Um, I don't know if I really can..." Audrey began, cringing just a bit as Mabel approached her.

"Come on, have vision! I can see it now! A statue of a dolphin, complete with a royal robe and a magnificent silver chariot pulled by mechanical spiders! We could build it right in the middle of town for everyone to see!" Mabel began, clearly enamored in her own idea. As she spoke, her arm slowly made its way around Audrey's shoulders, but it seemed this friendly gesture would just go to waste.

Because seconds away from when she would have put the arm on her shoulder, Audrey spotted the impending physical contact. Before Mabel knew what was going on, there was another short gust. Waddles squealed, and when Mabel looked next to her, Audrey was gone.

Mabel did a double take. Then she began turning over the nearby boxes and poked her head into any of the other hiding places around her.

"Audrey? Where did you run off to?" She asked, but only Waddles seemed to respond with a low whine. Mabel scratched the back of her head, and of course could only wonder how Audrey had disappeared so suddenly and so fast.

Unfortunately, she didn't have very much time to think on that. Because as she searched through one of the cardboard boxes nearby, something approaching from behind her caused Waddles to really let it all out. Her pig's next series of squeals, coupled with the fact that he was now running headlong past her, was more than enough to make Mabel turn around to see exactly what was causing his commotion.

And what she was greeted by, was the horrible, ghostly visage of what looked like a bad Elvis impersonator. As he opened his mouth, it was clear he was missing a good number of teeth, and his dark blueish skin looked as lifeless as black ice.

"You know, I'da say thank you very much, but you weren't treatin' our little darlin' too well back there, now were ya?" the entity said, before a horrible series of howls began to emanate from all around Mabel.

Covering her ears and trying to block out the sound, it seemed that the entire backstage was erupting with movement as ghostly beings of all shapes and sizes came out from the surrounding walls. Spindly men and women, older elders, gaunt teens, and a number of other ghostly things came down all around Mabel.

Eventually, their collective wailing stopped, and Mabel could only stand frozen in fear as the ghost of Elvis past leaned down and stared her right in the eyes. He himself was missing one of his eyes, and Mabel could see the other wall right through him.

"So I'll say again, little missy. What business do you think you got here messing with our little Audrey?" he asked her, his accent strong as his ghostly companions seemed to move in closer.

Mabel didn't even take the time to scream. Instead, she reached into her pocket, pulled out her trusty grappling hook, and shot it straight upwards. The ghosts did little more than watch as she proceeded with her escape, as if they didn't really care about chasing her in the first place.

As panic overtook her, the automated puller on her grappling hook quickly brought Mabel up and into supposed safety.

What she didn't think about though, was the flimsy nature of the stage roof. When she did reach the top, she found herself crashing right through rotted wood, before rolling down the site and stopping right before the edge.

Her heart pounding in her chest, Mabel wasn't going to wait for those ghosts to catch up to her anytime soon, especially with barely any light left in the day. Down below, she spotted Waddles, who had managed to escape and was currently be consoled by Dipper and Wendy down ahead by the main lawn. Soos was there as well, propped up against a tree. She could only wonder what he had ended up doing instead of fixing the stage when she'd been trying to find him.

The sound of distant wails, at least ones she thought she heard, made Mabel forget those thoughts and move in an instant. Pointing her grappling hook towards a large tree, she pushed the trigger, and before she knew it, she was catapulting through the air.

But her execution was a bit sloppy, and Mabel's grip slipped as she made her descent towards the grassy ground. She tumbled down when she was only three feet from the ground, her sweater getting rustled in the grass and dirt scuffing her face.

Dipper was the first to run by his sister's side, obviously concerned. "Mabel! Are you alright?"

Mabel shook her head in order to focus again. Her basketball monkey sweater had taken a bit of a beating in all that tumbling, but she was otherwise okay. In the next instant, she had her one hand around one of Dipper's as she pulled him towards a still lounging Wendy and a sleeping Soos.

"Guys, guys! We've got a serious situation here! And if we don't do something about it, it's only going to get worse!"

Soos's eyes began to move, if only a little. He yawned like a big beaver just waking up, before rubbing his eyes to jump start the process.

"Woah, dudes, what's the problemo?"

Even Wendy was convinced enough to sit up, especially considering the frantic look on Mabel's face. "Yeah, what's wrong? I thought you were all relaxed before. I mean, you know, before you got all frozen."

"Waddles looked like he saw a ghost or something." Dipper commented, motioning to the pig still shivering just a bit by Soos. That line was all Mabel needed to get going.

"That's because he did see a ghost! The whole backstage is infested with ghosts! It's a ghost epidemic! We need to call somebody or they're going to get loose all over town!" she exclaimed wildly, clearly quite worried about this predicament.

Much to Mabel's surprise, Wendy actually stood up, and put on a serious expression, at least for her. "Ghosts? Oh, this can't be good. Now we really gotta do something before this gets out of hand."

Dipper's heart melted at the sight of Wendy suddenly taking charge. Nevertheless, he still opened up the journal, and began flipping through the pages as he looked for a solution. "Give me a second. I bet there's something in here that can help us for sure."

Mabel's expression suddenly calmed down. Then, it became somewhat bewildered. "Wait? You guys believe me? Just like that?"

Wendy smiled almost knowingly. "Well, duh. Dipper and I saw two ghosts with our own eyes. I'm not just gonna forget about that."

Dipper nodded in agreement. "You probably don't remember too much about that, Mabel...but we don't really have to go into it. What's important is that we find a way to solve this problem at its source, or Grunkle Stan's going to be in for a big surprise on Gravitystock. One that he probably won't like very much..."

"We need to call somebody!" Mabel announced, with Waddles squealing in what sounded like agreement.

Soos put a finger up to his double chin as he thought about that notion. "That's an idea, dudes, but just who are we gonna call?"

A confident smile appeared on Dipper's face as he finally found the page he was looking for. "No worries, guys. I've got everything covered."

* * *

***CUE A CERTAIN THEME***

* * *

Without another word, Dipper flipped the journal over, and all eyes were on it. Everyone seemed to have a different reaction to the sketched-out picture in front of them.

Wendy raised a curious eyebrow as a small smile grew on her face.

"Okay, that's pretty wicked."

Mabel's teeth were practically shining with glee.

"Oh my gosh, this is going to be so epic!"

And Soos seemed to be the most excited of all. He looked at this picture in the journal with so much wonder on his face it was like he was staring at the fabled golden city of El Dorado.

"I knew it all along. This is it, dudes. I have finally found my true purpose in life."

Dipper's finger pointed down at a sketch of what looked a strange backpack-like device, complete with hose-like firing mechanism. Below it were notes on how to construct a more makeshift version of the original, which was rumored to use particle-accelerating technology in its design.

From what Dipper had read, the writer of the journal, building upon a supposed Dr. Spengler's notes, had managed to come up with a more mundane version of this ghost-busting device: one that could use household appliances and the like in its construction.

"I don't think we need to call anyone, guys." Dipper said in a suave tone of voice. It was pretty obvious that Dipper was enjoying this situation quite a bit.

And Mabel could tell, of course. And though she didn't want to admit it, she didn't like this whole showing up thing. Dipper had the journal, after all. Besides her grappling hook, what else did she really have?

Dipper seemed even more confident as he continued to address everyone. He seemed completely unafraid and sure of himself as he shut the book closed.

"Trust me on this one when I say we won't need to call anyone."

"But dude! We totally need to call the Gho-" Soos began frantically, only for Mabel to interrupt him completely.

"No. We don't, Soos." she interjected, having been fed up with Dipper stealing the show. Taking the journal from him, she opened it up to the page he had been at before before mirroring his previously dramatic tone of voice.

"Because once we have four of these babies on our backs, it won't be a question of who are we gonna call..." Mabel began, trying to sound as cool as possible. Soos was drifting into his own world as he listened to Mabel's words, practically hearing the iconic theme song in the air.

"...it'll be a question of, who are they gonna call? Us! Mabel and the Mystery Busters, that's who!"

* * *

**Ah, so many references, so little time. I wonder what other famous mystery finders have had their notes and findings chronicles in the journal. I guess only time will tell, and we'll have to wait and see. **

**Stay tuned for the next part!**


	2. Part 2

**New chapter coming your way! I am particularly proud of this one, mostly because a lot of the scenes were super fun to write.**

**Anyway, I'm not going to ruin it for you. Read on, review and enjoy!**

* * *

There was something so absolutely gratifying about being a leader. A sense of superiority, a sense of power, and most important of all; a sense of being able to direct and guide those people completely depending on your leadership.

But mostly, it was the fact that it was Mabel who was the leader of the group for once, as opposed to her brother. It was the fact that she was the one standing on a tall stool, overseeing Soos and the others with the construction of their "proton packs", and that she could grin to herself and really feel on top of the world.

Mabel said nothing as Soos used all of his handyman know-how to interpret the not-so-clear directions from the journal. With Dipper's help, they figured out first that the more mundane versions of the ghost-busting "proton pack" device would utilize a high-pressure suction hose, which presumably could keep ghosts captured for minutes at time. Conversely, Dipper had explained that this mode could also be used to push ghosts away from them, in case any of them faced the danger of a sudden spectral assault.

Beads of sweat came down Soos's forehead as he added finishing touches to the first of the busting weapons. Made of an old leaf-blower, parts of a discarded car engine, and doodads of all kinds, it seemed more of a hodge-podge of things than any kind of true offensive weapon.

"You know, it really did look a lot cooler in the book." Wendy commented in an unsure tone, as she watched Soos slam in one last nail to hold the machine together. The handy-man wiped his forehead in triumph though, clearly admiring his finished work.

"Don't burn it till you try it, dude. One does not judge a sandwich by it's whole-grain cover. It's the greasy, meaty inside that betrays its true nature." Soos quipped. Not surprisingly, Wendy had no real way to respond to that statement, but Mabel, on the other hand, was quick to add words of inspiration as she jumped down from her stool.

"Soos is right!" she declared, pulling the new "proton-pack" from the floor and putting it on her back. Unfortunately as soon as she tried to walk, she ended up falling completely sideways as the weight proved to be too much for her pre-teen body.

Mabel smiled before making an awkward laugh, quite unable to get up. "A little help?"

Soos was quick to lift her off the floor. "Sorry, dude. That one was meant for me."

"Oh, I can handle it. Just give me a second." Mabel reassured him, not ready to give up just yet.

She braced herself as Soos moved away, and the full weight came upon her again. This time though, Mabel forced herself to fight against it, managing to take one step forward. A second passed as Mabel used every little muscle in her body to move another step forward, before finally finding enough strength to pull the makeshift leaf-blower spout from her back and point it in front of her.

"See?" she said, groaning as she tried to continue standing, her legs shaking from the weight on her back. "Nothing to it!"

Her fingers quickly found the switch for the firing mechanism, and just a split-second of anticipation came and went before she pressed down on the button.

A blast of powered air shot out from the tube connecting to the main hose of the device, sending Dipper flying back into Wendy as Wendy's hat went tumbling backwards from the force. Mabel herself flew back like she was attached to a jet engine, eventually hitting the wall behind her and knocking over various knick-knacks on the Shack's shelves on impact. Just a moment later, she pushed the button again, turning off the gust and absorbing the sudden experience.

"You know, dudes," Soos remarked, clearly enamored with whole situation. "That was totally just as awesome as I imagined it to be."

Mabel proceeded to worm her way out of the straps of the device, before brushing off sweater. When she was done, she put her arms to her sides and walked towards Dipper, Wendy and Soos with a triumphant look in her eyes.

"Alright! Looks like we gotta our work cut out for us! Three more of these babies and we'll be good to go!" she announced, sounding quite sure of herself.

"I just wish these instructions were a little more clear..." Dipper added, sounding quite worried.

Of course, Wendy managed to make it sound like there was nothing to worry about. "Ah, relax, Dipper. It'll all be cool in the end. It always turns out cool."

Soos pushed down his hat at the sound of those words, putting on his best serious face.

"Well what are we doing waiting around, dudes?" he declared, tightening his grip on his hammer. "Those ghosts ain't gonna bust themselves."

Dipper and Wendy ended up responding just as enthusiastically as Mabel had expected them too. As Dipper ventured upstairs to look for parts, Wendy began cutting up some of Grunkle Stan's old lawn tools, and Soos got hard work hammering together a new frame, Mabel watched them like the visionary leader she imagined herself to be.

High atop her stool again, she crossed her arms and grinned through her braces as she overlooked the work and admired the unquestioning loyalty of her brother's crush and the Shack's handyman.

"Those ghosts better watch out. There might be something strange in this neighborhood now, but not for long!" she announced, ending her statement with her best ominous laugh.

* * *

Much to the group's surprise, the trek back to the Gravitystock grounds wasn't all that exciting. This was mostly due in part to the fact that Soos's car wasn't stark white, and didn't have sirens or a flashy logo on it.

Things seemed to only become less appealing as everyone got out of Soos's car, and suddenly the weight of their respective packs became truly apparent to them. Nevertheless, Mabel pushed them onward.

They were about halfway across the lawn when Soos started breathing pretty hard. Clearly, years of laziness and pigging out were finally catching up to him, and in his destined moment of glory, no less.

"Dudes," he croaked out through each breath. "These things are like, way heavier than I thought."

"You're telling me!" Mabel replied with a bit of annoyance in her voice. "I'm getting all sweaty again! I took two showers just to get all the sweat off before!"

Even with the night air, it was still somewhat humid, and most everyone was sweating profusely with the burden of these heavy "proton-packs" on their backs.

Frustration was naturally quick to fill the air.

"Says you. I didn't see you doing any work to help build these things." Wendy commented. Dipper was quick to come to her defense, of course.

"She's got a point. How exactly did you help out again, Mabel?" he questioned, only for his sister to turn around and give him a somewhat flustered and aggravated answer, since Dipper being a good little butt-kisser didn't help to prove his point.

"I was the overseer! I needed to make sure everything got done! Now stop questioning me and let's get there already!" Mabel practically growled, before turning back around and moving at a faster pace than before.

Wendy leaned down beside Dipper as the walked, whispering into his ear.

"She's cracking, Dipper. Maybe we should take control as leaders before the whole group falls apart."

Dipper seemed taken aback, whispering right back, "Are you suggesting a mutiny? What are we, pirates!?"

Wendy seemed to think on that for a moment, before standing back up and tossing her idea right out the window.

"Yeah, you're right. Too much work involved." she said quite non-nonchalantly.

Wendy just shrugged, and Dipper was left with no real way to respond.

Unsurprisingly, her could only wonder just how lazy Wendy could possibly be. If the world ever was invaded by hostile aliens, would Wendy be a person others could depend on in developing a resistance? The more he thought about, the more he realized, most definitely not.

Nevertheless, simple problems such as sweating ended up being largely unimportant. Eventually, the group reached the ominous stage, a strong breeze blowing by as they walked atop it. Mabel led in front, holding tightly onto her "proton-pack" as she surveyed the surroundings.

"It seems..." Mabel began, searching left and right for any sign of strangeness on the outside stage.

"...normal." she finished, sounding somewhat confused. Where are all the ghosts, she wondered. Sure, they might have been afraid of the sunlight earlier, but it was night now, and definitely the prime time for them to go out.

"They must still be hiding in the backstage." Mabel declared, her eyes now focused on the musty curtain dividing the two sections of the stage.

"Everybody got their lights?" Mabel asked, and as expected, a few flashlights popped on after the group nodded in unison.

"I'm as ready as my destiny made me to be, dudes." Soos declared, his voice so serious he made it sound like he wouldn't be coming back from this endeavor.

"Alright." Mabel replied, now ecstatic herself. "Then let's get to busting some ghosts."

Thus, she took the first tenacious step as she began to open the curtain.

But one step was all Mabel would take, as her entire world lurched in response to a series of cracking noises that surprised everyone. Before anyone really knew what was going on, the world seemed to go black as Mabel, Dipper, Wendy and Soos each fell into a hole seemingly set up for their unique size specifications. Gravity pushed down on the four as they screamed in unison, but the blackness was too powerful to resist, and down they went.

Up above the stage, two ghosts laughed with each other, a small handsaw floating next to one. Dressed like a couple of hillbillies, one of them tried slapping a hand against the other, but it merely phased right through his friend's transparent back.

"Looks like we got ourselves a couple of little spectre busters, ehahaha! Nice one on the 'ol handsaw trick, Billy!" one chortled, as they seemed to just laugh even harder.

Down below, Old Man McGucket, coming home from his part-time job at the junkyard, spotted the commotion. Son he was running out to the field around the stage, and quickly noticed the two ghosts laughing above.

"Hey! Kindred spirits! Take me with you! I always wanted to be one of y'all!" he begged, but the only response he got was the ghosts looking down, then looking at each other, before dropping the saw and disappearing back through the wall into the backstage.

Old Man McGucket could do nothing but shed a few tears as he sat down in the field, the saw landing dangerously between his outstretched legs. He took no notice to such a close call however, and instead leaned on the handle of the tool embedded in the grass as he began crying his eyes out.

"Dang spectres! Just what have they got against the living?"

* * *

When he finally came to, Dipper was greeted by nothing but blackness.

Underneath him though, was a something quite soft, and his nose caught the scent of pine coming from whatever it was. Moving around, his fingers finally reached for a flashlight, but when he turned it on, the light blasted right in the face of none other than Wendy.

Dipper overreacted completely, of course, once he realized he had been on top of Wendy this whole time. Backing away as he held the flashlight away from her face, he could only wonder how violated Wendy must have felt in this moment. She wouldn't be able to see it, but Dipper's legs were shaking from a mix of shock and embarrassment.

But instead of calling him out, Wendy seemed more concerned with just sitting up, as she rubbed the back of head and groaned.

"Ugh, what happened back there? You alright, Dipper?" she asked, searching for her own flashlight in the darkness with her spare hand.

Dipper looked up, and a good twenty feet above them was the hole to the stage they had fallen through. Dipper could only scratch his head as he wondered how they could have possibly fallen through that far, and somehow ended up landing here with nothing having obstructed their descent.

"I'm not really sure, Wendy." he said, surveying the surrounding area with his flashlight. Strangely, the walls were quite smooth, non-descript and very unfitting to what he thought should be the underbelly beneath the stage.

"I got my pack right here with me though." he assured her, patting down on it audibly. "If we do meet up with any ghosts, we should be fine."

The next response Dipper got was definitely not one he was expecting. A chill went down both his and Wendy's spine as an unfamiliar voice spoke out from the surrounding darkness.

"Fine? Oh, you two are very far from fine right now. You interrupted our dance number, after all."

Suddenly, everything went black again, even the flashlights. Dipper was up in an instant, yelling in panic as anxiety came over him. He scrambled in Wendy's direction, hoping to find her before they were both lost in the darkness forever.

"Wendy! Where are you!?"

"I...I don't know! I can't see anything! They blinded us!"

"Just take my hand! We can't let them split us up like last time!"

She couldn't see it, but Dipper could feel tears coming on as the very thought of losing Wendy forever just about made him break down.

"I'll find you! I won't lose you, Wendy!"

Finally, Dipper's hand found Wendy's. His fingers quickly curled around hers as she pulled him close.

"Calm down, man. You're not losing anyone." she reassured him, her voice his only comfort in the darkness. Dipper could only smile in response as his face went hot. He may not have been that tall, but he could still feel Wendy's warmth, and it was quite the heavenly feeling.

Dipper might have wanted to stay with her like this forever, if not for the voice that had accosted them before.

"Ah, young love. It is so precious. Do you remember when we were that young, darling?"

Another voice, clearly masculine, replied. "You mean when we were alive? Oh, so vaguely my dear. But we did used to tear up the dance floor, didn't we?"

The female voice laughed a little before responding. "Yes, darling. Yes we did."

Suddenly, light flooded the area. Dipper and Wendy instinctively shielded their eyes as a burst of color erupted in the room. When their sight finally adjusted, the two of them could only look on in wonder as they found themselves now in the middle of the most unlikely of places.

They were now surrounded by what looked like a shimmering dance floor, complete with colored lights and a moody atmosphere. Dipper looked below, and could see red, yellow and blue light tiles skipping back and forth in rhythm with one another. There was a faint sound of music in the air, and a shining disco ball spun slowly up above.

"Talk about retro." Wendy remarked, looking down at Dipper still holding on to her. It was at this point that he proceeded to loosen his grip on her, putting his hands behind his back as he laughed awkwardly.

"Uh, sorry about that. Just wanted to make sure you were alright." he replied, his cheeks flushed with pink.

"No worries, Dipper." Wendy said, smiling and putting on her most carefree tone in an attempt to alleviate some of his stress. "That's really sweet of you."

"You know, I can completely understand your need for romance, but I do believe that are some more important things at stake here." said the voice of one of the two ghosts, who now appeared before Dipper and Wendy as she phased through the dance floor tiles.

Dressed in a halter top and a short skirt, her hair was fashioned in a bun and she wore a number of hoop-bracelets around her right wrist. The ghost glowed with a pale yellow, floating into the air wearing a big smile, as her husband phased through the floor just behind her.

With a face full of facial hair, a stylish grin, and white and blue threads that could shame any would-be dancer, he floated up right besides his ghostly wife, looking down at Wendy and Dipper with a sly look on his face.

"Yes, let's talk stakes. You and your little friends were invading our home, after all." he remarked, only for Dipper to point an accusing finger at the bearded ghost.

"Invading? You're the ones in a place you shouldn't belong! Now what did you do with Mabel and Soos!?" he demanded, with Wendy backing him right up.

"Yeah, cause if you're planning on torturing them or something, then we're totally prepared to..." she began, only to notice a huge gap in her plan behind her.

"Our stuff! Dipper, our ghost-busting gear, it's gone!" she announced, leaving Dipper to frantically look behind him and notice that their "proton packs" were indeed completely gone.

"What!? But how could they have...but we need those!"

The ghosts laughed in unison in response to this, clearly taking great delight in this situation.

"Oh, you won't be needing anything of that sort." the bearded ghost began, his wife joining right in.

"Yes, yes, we put those toys right away from you. Your aforementioned "ghost-busting" is canceled for tonight. We've got something else more spectacular planned for you instead!"

Suddenly, the lights went off again, as the two ghosts laughed ominously. Both Dipper and Wendy screamed as they felt a strange sensation coming over them. But it was quick, like a shot, and before they knew it, the lights were on again.

They themselves, however, were changed, quite literally. Dipper found himself in a white suit, complete with a medallion and platform shoes that could put Travolta to shame. Somewhat admiring these new duds, he looked towards Wendy, and suddenly became completely and utterly mesmerized.

Her hair freed from any hat, Wendy was now clad a turquoise green dress that seemed to shimmer and sparkle under the lights of the dance floor. She pushed her hair away from her face as she inspected her new clothes, quite confused and not sure exactly what to think.

"Uh, this is...unexpected." she said, feeling the two thin hoop bracelets now around her right wrist. She touched the top of her head, feeling somewhat exposed without her hat.

"I probably look like a total dork now, don't I?" she asked, but Dipper could only shake his head slowly before hitting himself and coming back to reality.

"Oh, no, no! Not at all! I think you look...you look great, Wendy. So great. Better than I've ever imagined."

Wendy raised a questioning eyebrow. No boy had said something like that to her, in all the nine that she had truly dated so far.

Dipper was quick to wave his hands and grin nervously in his defense once he saw her reaction though. "I mean, not that I imagine you like this! Not that I would imagine you at all! I...I just...oh man! These neon lights are sure messing with my speech center right now, you know?"

The female ghost clasped her hands together as she relished Dipper's flustered nature. "Oh, how adorable! He's embarrassed. But enough games! It's time for you to two to get down, or get beat!"

"Just what do you want from us?" Wendy asked as she looked down at her new ensemble again. "And what did you do with my clothes!?"

The bearded ghost snickered as he and his wife floated closer to the floor. "Oh, we're just here to propose a little contest. A little sport, that's all."

Dipper instantly became suspicious. "What kind of contest?"

"A dancing contest!" the ghostly wife said, her voice filled with glee. "And whoever wins gets to find their friends and be on their merry way!"

"But why would you need to find your friends? We're the ones who are trapped here, wherever here is..." Dipper asked, now quite confused.

The two ghosts looked at each other for a moment, as if unsure of how to respond to Dipper's statement. Slowly, they formed smiles on their faces, before bursting in unison into a deranged bout laughter.

"Oh, my!" said the bearded ghost, wiping a transparent tear away from his eye. "That's the point, friends! I do hope you two can do the hustle! Then again, you are the modern living!"

Unsurprisingly, Wendy was starting to lose track of what was going on. "Do the what?"

The ghosts seemed to just ignore her question though. As they floated down to just a foot above the ground, a tune began in the background, and it was one that Dipper recognized all too well.

The opening "Oooooh!", the piano, the strings, it all came back to him in an instant. After all, Disco Girl wasn't the only feminine dance-pop song he enjoyed on a daily basis.

Dipper gulped, looking back at Wendy and wondered if he should tell her that he in fact had practiced the hustle multiple times on his own, to the tune of the song of the same name, but never with another person. Ironically, it was often Wendy herself whom he imagined himself dancing with, and it seemed the fates had finally granted him his wish, though in their own twisted way.

He wondered how good these ghosts were at dancing, since it seemed to be increasingly obvious that they themselves died in the middle of the '70's. Which meant they had years of practice with one another, while Dipper had minimal skill, and Wendy had pretty much none.

Then he thought back to his experience with the Lamby Lamby Dance, and remembered just how horribly embarrassing that had been. He remembered how Wendy had come so close to breaking his secret, and he wondered if he could trust her again with something like this.

Of course, all it took was one gaze at her sparkling eyes and that wonderful ensemble of hers for Dipper to change his mind entirely.

Before she could say much of anything, Dipper took her hand in his, and gulped, wondering how well this would really work, considering how much shorter he was then her, and especially since he never did get that one dance with her.

"Ah, I see we are ready to start!" said the bearded ghost, clearly prepared for a challenge.

Dipper put on his best serious face, and held on to Wendy's hand tightly.

"Yes, we are. Bring it on." he declared, trying to sound as sure of himself as possible.

Wendy could only watch in astonishment, as the music played all around her, and Dipper began to bring her through the motions of something she never would have seen herself doing in a million years. His steps were surprisingly quick, concise, and fluid, as if he had practiced this many times before.

For a moment, it seemed very strange, for Wendy to be dancing with a twelve-year old, trying to beat ghosts to the sound of disco music.

But even with the ghosts, the lights, Dipper's short stature, and the somewhat dated dress, Wendy realized that it was all quickly becoming quite nice.

And as Dipper helped her get used to this dance that was so new to her, the look in her eyes told him everything he needed to know. She suddenly felt at home with Dipper, and before they knew it, they were both moving in tune like pros.

Whether they knew it or not, as they danced their troubles away, both Wendy and Dipper happened to be thinking the exact same thing.

Ghosts or not, they were going to rip up this dance floor tonight. Even if they were a good forty years too late.

* * *

"Soos? Soos! Where are you?" Mabel called out, her flashlight just barely breaking the darkness around her.

For the last five minutes, she had been looking for her dear friend since their group fall, but to no avail. Still wearing her pack, though it was somewhat dented from the fall, She continued to call on Soos again and again, but got no response.

After another couple of seconds, she stopped, and sadness came upon Mabel's face as she realized that Soos might indeed be lost to her forever.

Only a short gust of wind could take her attention away from the depressing situation at hand, and in an instant, Mabel turned, her busting device pointed towards the darkness.

"Who's there?!" she said with clear anger in her voice, her frustrations now directed towards a target. "I'm not afraid to use this, you...you...whatever you are!"

She caught wind of the gust again, this time shooting in the direction where she thought it might have come from. Much to her surprise, her blast hit home, and she heard a slight shriek come from the shadows.

Pointing her light in the direction of the noise, her eyes widened as she spotted none other than the mysterious girl from before.

However, Mabel could see the light beaming right through her blueish body, and her mouth went agape as she noticed that the girl was floating just a few feet above the ground.

"It's...it's you!" And you're...you're a ghost too! Just like the rest of them!"

Audrey didn't know what to immediately do, but instead of floating off to safety, she approached Mabel, a very nervous expression on her face.

"...I guess you know now." Audrey said, clearly uncomfortable with being around Mabel like this. She was quick to raise her hands up in her own defense though.

"But I didn't trap your friends like that! I told the others not to, but they wouldn't listen!"

Mabel didn't seem in the mood for talking. Instead, she pointed her ghost-busting hose towards Audrey, her finger poised over the button.

"Give me one good reason why I should believe you, and why I shouldn't blast you into dust!"

Audrey thought about for a second, gauging the serious expression on Mabel's face. Finally, she smiled as genuinely as she could, trying to sound as sincere as possible.

"Because we're both artists, and us artists have to stick together?"

For a moment, it seemed Mabel's mind wouldn't change. Then, seconds later, she laughed through her braces, and lowered her weapon.

"Okay, okay." Mabel said, as if talking to an old friend. "You got me."

Audrey's face seemed to perk up. She didn't think that would have worked.

"Oh, well, that's a relief." she replied, only to have Mabel right up in her face a moment later as the human girl attempted to grab Audrey's shoulders.

"Now you gotta help me find everybody! They're goners without me!" Mabel pleaded, before realizing that her hands had just ended up phasing through Audrey's body.

The ghost girl offered her best words of comfort, which unfortunately, didn't sound too comforting.

"I don't think you have to worry. I've known the others around here for a long time. They'll get bored of their pranks soon enough, I hope..."

Mabel's face was instantly hit with dread. She could only wonder what horrible torment someone like Soos was going through in this very moment...

* * *

"So you guys really do this all the time? You just sit here, remember the good days, and jam together?" Soos asked, as he sat between two lanky ghosts, each sporting long beards and sunglasses, along with matching ghostly guitars.

"You got that right, man. Forty-five years of this life, well, unlife, and counting. It's some ride." one of them said, his greenish aura making a low hum around him,

Soos smiled as he thought about the concept of being a ghost and simply hanging out like this forever. Suddenly, hunting them didn't sound so appealing anymore.

"Dudes, this is totally awesome. You guys are like living legends." he commented, with all the gusto of an excited five-year old.

"More like undead legends, man." the ghost to his right said, his voice drawn out as if he was up in the clouds and never coming down. They each strummed on their guitar in unison, and as Soos listened intently to the otherworldly tunes, his "proton-pack" lay unused and forgotten in the far corner.

"So like, are we in some sort of ghost dimension right now? And I've been meaning to ask you dudes, exactly how does one sign up to be one of the ghostly elite? I used to bust you dudes, but you know, I just had a total change of heart." Soos rambled, clearly too excited with his predicament for his own good.

The two hippie ghosts simply looked at one another. Either they were too out of it to say anything, or they just didn't know what to say. Their silence mattered little to Soos though, who simply clasped his hands together as he awaited their answer.

"You know, the long pause tells me this secret to becoming a ghost is gonna be good. Just lay it out on me when you're ready."

The two ghosts shrugged. One of them leaned in close to Soos, and began to speak.

"Alright, man. You wanna know how this all came to be? Then here's the story. It all started in Gravitystock, back in the summer of '69. Me and my brother here were chilling in the back of our van, minding our own business, when suddenly, the cops came knocking on our window..."

"Yeah, I mean, what we were doing wrong? It was a free country, and they we were cracking down on us man! I mean, we got the right to chill in our van if we want." his brother replied, clearly getting all riled up.

The storyteller nodded in response, continuing with his tale. "Right on. So anyway, there we are, and there are the cops. Now I'll tell you, they were not happy when they found out what we were up to..."

Soos smiled as he listened in on the unfolding tale.

He soon began to realize, that perhaps his true vocation was not to bust ghosts, but to become one of them.

Clearly, after this story was finished, Soos had a lot of reflecting to do about his so-called destiny.

* * *

**How did y'all like that? My favorite part was either the Soos or Wendy and Dipper scene. Those two practically wrote themselves, haha! Anyway, stay tuned for the next part!**


	3. Part 3

**Man, I am so on roll here right now! Here we are, with another chapter of this unfolding story. I think that this fandom is becoming too much fun to write for! Plus, there's just so much potential with these characters, and I feel like I could think of new stories for them forever. But that's just me talking crazy. The story is what you're here for, right?  
**

**This is quite a long chapter, but I think it'll be well worth it. So go ahead, read on, review and enjoy!**

* * *

Mabel had been pacing around for at least a good hour now, wondering what to do about her current situation as the ghost girl Audrey floated by with an uneasy look on her face.

Surrounded by pitch black darkness, and having found out that the girl she had met earlier this day was one of the ghosts she'd been trying to bust the whole time, it was no surprise that the normally upbeat Mabel found herself now at a loss. She looked up at the hole in the stage, which was definitely too high up for Audrey to drag her. And that was if she could even hold onto Audrey in the first place.

"So tell me again, just when are your friends going to get sick of their pranks?" Mabel asked, sitting on the floor cross-legged with no plan on her mind.

Audrey drifted over towards her and copied her sitting position, albeit still floating a few feet above the ground.

"Well, I guess once they've had their fun. They don't really ever hurt anybody. Eliott always tells me that it's all in good fun, and that the living deserve it." the ghost girl said, holding her chin up with her hands, a blank look in her eyes.

"The living deserve it? Uh, that sounds pretty harsh right there. What did we ever do to you ghosts?" Mabel asked defensively. After all, it was her friends and her brother who were all on the line right now.

"Well..." Audrey began, thinking over everything that had happened so far. "...technically you did come to bust us. Ghosts don't like busters very much."

Mabel realized quickly exactly what Audrey was alluding to, laughing nervously in an attempt to clear the tension in the air. "Oh. Well, that's all in the past anyway! We should be looking towards a vision of a brighter future!"

Once again, Mabel tried putting her arm around Audrey, but unfortunately, it simply phased right through her. She groaned in frustration at the inability to touch or affect her incorporeal nature in any way.

"Um, well, it's not really too bright down here." Audrey replied, and she was quite right.

Besides the little bit of light pouring down from the hole on the stage a good twenty feet above, Mabel and Audrey were surrounded by nothing but pitch black darkness. It seemed to Mabel that there was nowhere to go as much as there was nothing to do in this situation.

"Well, I guess while we're waiting," Mabel said, lounging on the ground and putting on her best smile as she looked up at Audrey. "Why don't you tell me a little about yourself? I've never met a ghost before, so this is a pretty cool first."

Audrey seemed taken aback. She was not used to the living being so comfortable around her.

Nevertheless, she put on a small smile, suddenly intrigued in Mabel herself. "Oh, okay. What do you want to know?"

Mabel was quick to break the boundaries of courtesy. "When did you die? Was it quick? Slow?"

In response, Audrey seemed to make ghostly blush, a lot more embarrassed by the question than she was offended. "I'm sorry, but that's kind of personal..."

"Aw, come on." Mabel pushed, clearly wanting to know all the juicy details. "If I knew when I was going to die, I'd totally tell you."

But even Mabel wasn't so dumb she couldn't notice just how uncomfortable this ghost girl was getting from all these sudden questions. Sighing to herself, she tried to sound a bit calmer and more controlled with her next question.

"Okay, why don't you just tell me about your life then? You said you liked to paint right? I like making sculptures, and I'd totally be up to bedazzling your face if it'd stay on." Mabel asked, and as expected, it seemed to make Audrey more comfortable, if only a little.

"My dad was an artist. We used to paint together a lot." the ghost girl began, before floating aside towards a small, disused area she often went to in her spare time.

As Mabel followed, a few old lights switched on, revealing an underbelly to the theater that Mabel could have never imagined.

The darkness now washed away, Mabel was greeted by a comfortable space filled with memorabilia from the '60's and beyond. From the shag rug underneath her feet, to the various lava lamps and flower print patterns all over the wall, Mabel's eyes could only widen as she finally reached the largest, most impressive thing in this ghost girl's room.

In place of a large portion of the wall, a huge mural looked over the entire space, filled with painterly flower designs in almost every color in the rainbow. Mabel's mouth went agape at such a colorful sight, and from the sound of her voice, she was clearly impressed.

"Wow. Did you and your dad do this together? And as ghosts?" she asked, stunned at the delicate nature of the design on the wall.

Audrey nodded joyfully, with a cute smile as her cheeks puffed up. "Uh-huh! It was a lot of fun too."

"How did you do this though? It seems like you ghosts can't really touch anything." Mabel remarked, carefully touching the surface of the mural as she took a closer look. It was quite dry, having been quite worn with the years.

"We can sort of make stuff move." Audrey answered, demonstrating this power, much to Mabel's amazement, as she lifted an old can of paint up from nearby. "Took me a long time to get good at it though."

Mabel smiled to herself, even more ecstatic at just how cool it was to see a ghost doing all this in front of her. As her previous thoughts of busting ghosts seemed to throw themselves right out the window, she noticed that a section of the mural on the wall seemed incomplete. Touching upon it, her fingers even brought back a little wet paint.

"You're still working on this?" Mabel asked. Audrey nodded quickly, quite happy that someone was actually interested in her art.

"Yeah. I've been adding to it for as long as I can remember being here."

Mabel continued to look at the design with longing eyes. "So where's your dad, with the other ghosts? Is he going to help you finish this some day?"

Audrey went quiet, and curled her arms inward as bad thoughts came back to her.

"No. I don't think he is. I haven't seen him...for a long time."

The sadness in Audrey's eyes said it all as she drifted down towards the ground. Mabel walked towards her, trying to look like she understood, but knowing that she couldn't even do so much as put a comforting hand on the ghost girl's shoulder.

"...how long have you guys been here?" Mabel asked, suddenly beginning to fit some of the pieces together. Being with Dipper for so long and tackling mysteries had taught her just a little bit, after all.

"I lost track by now. All I know is that whatever we try to do, we can't leave." Audrey replied sadly, turning away from Mabel and looking at her own design on the wall again. She longed to touch the unfinished part of the design, to pull out one of the paintbrushes in her hair and finish it the good old fashioned way. Unfortunately, she knew in her ghostly heart that she couldn't no matter how hard she tried.

"But it's okay!" Audrey said, quickly trying to change her attitude. "I like the world of the living! The afterlife is probably a boring place anyway."

"But you still can't leave here, can you?" Mabel asked, a disappointed tone in her voice.

"No. I definitely can't." the ghost girl replied, leaving Mabel just whine in annoyance.

"That's so unfair! And I was going to invite you for a sleepover to meet my friends and everything! Oh, why does stuff have to be so complicated!? All I want is one ghostly friend! Is that too much to ask, you precarious thing called life!?" Mabel announced, in a manner similar to how Grunkle Stan had pleaded to the sky earlier in today.

Even she couldn't help but feel the weird deja vu after the fact. Audrey's apologetic answer, as she soundlessly clapped her hands in sorrow, was quick to bring Mabel back to reality though.

"I'm sorry." the ghost girl practically whispered, clearly feeling quite bad for dashing Mabel's hopes.

But unknown to her, Mabel had a knack for reminding herself of her own solutions.

"I guess whatever stuff keeps us here just doesn't want to let go..." Audrey said, her voice drifting off towards the end of her statement. "...the others told me it's like a magic seal or something. Nobody can float farther than the edge of the grounds."

The idea hit her in an instant. She put a finger up to her chin, as solutions and plans began rolling through her head. "Magic, huh? Well, I happen to have a specialty when it comes to magic. In fact, you could say I'm an expert at the subject."

Audrey seemed quickly impressed. "Really? You know about magic?"

"Sure." Mabel lied right through her braces. "I'm a regular wizard! This cute face is just a front for my real power. In fact, why don't you stay put here, and maybe I can cook something up to get you out of this place!"

"You would do that...for me?" Audrey asked, obviously sounding quite touched by the thought

"Of course!" Mabel exclaimed, now quite comfortable in her position of "authority." "What are friends for?"

Audrey put a hand to her ghostly heart. If her heart still needed to beat at all, it would have definitely skipped one. But beating heart or not, living or not, the impact of Mabel's words still hit home.

"We're...we're friends?"

Mabel nodded with a big smile on her face. "Definitely! And to prove it, here's your first nice, warm hug!"

Not at all prepared for Mabel to run at her, Audrey could only make a light gasp as she felt the living body pass through her completely, only to tumble wildly into some cans of paint and an old mannequin.

When Audrey turned around, she could see Mabel staring out into space, once again having not thought about her new friend's incorporeal nature. Mabel sighed to herself

"You don't know just how much you're missing out on this hugging thing, Audrey. It's okay though. I know you can't help it." she proceeded to exclaim. Clearly, the hugging issue would have to be handled later in one way or another.

But before she could think very much about that, thoughts of her new friend meeting Candy and Grenda entered her mind, and she realized more important things were on the horizon.

Mabel smiled. If everything went according to plan, then she was on the verge of having the coolest sleepover ever; that is if she really could get an actual ghost in the mix.

If only Pacifica Northwest knew, Mabel thought with a snicker. No doubt she'd be jealous out of her mind.

* * *

As he felt another friendly punch in the arm, Dipper knew he was on top of the world.

"You know you're totally the man, right, Dipper?" Wendy told him, having been impressed for the last fifteen minutes now.

Dipper grinned with every last bit of his ego as they opened the door inside the shack. Holding a bag containing the same threads they had been wearing just a little while ago, he answered Wendy with the most confident voice he could muster.

"I know, I know. But it's no big. We came, we saw and we most certainly got down."

Dipper looked back at her and put out an offer for a high five. "It was a team effort, really."

Instead of adhering to his request, Wendy just crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow as if surprised with his response.

"What?" Dipper asked. "Don't leave me hanging here."

"You know, you need get a little more self-confidence." Wendy said, before leaning down and giving Dipper a sweet peck on the cheek. His face burned hot as she moved away, having not expected that at all.

"I can only do so much, Dipper. Sooner or later though, you're going to have to grow up a little bit. And for real this time." Wendy told him, before turning back around and opening the gift shop door behind her.

"But I did grow up! I learned from all my mistakes!" Dipper said in his defensive. "Wasn't all that proof enough?"

"I dunno." Wendy remarked, preparing to close the door behind her. "You're probably right. Maybe I'm just thinking too much and noticing stuff that's not there..."

Wendy was quick to change the subject. She could tell that there was something being unsaid, but she was too tired from her recent predicament to go any further with it.

"Anyway, it's getting late. We're still on for tomorrow?" She asked, putting her fist up as a sign of confirmation.

"Tomorrow?" Dipper said, not immediately remembering that they had something planned. "Uh, sure! Yeah, totally!"

"Awesome." Wendy said, leaving Dipper with a sweet freckled smile to remember her by for the night. "Get some good Z's, Dipper."

And with that, she closed the outside door to the Mystery Shack's gift shop, no doubt making her way to her bike chained up in the back in order to get home. Dipper waved even though she was gone, half-caught in a daze, half worried by her words.

"I will, Wendy. You can count...on me..." he said, his breath giving out towards the end. Below, his legs pulsed with just a bit of pain. The strenuous effort required for all of that dancing was just starting to hit him now.

"I'm sensing some girlfriend issues, dude." Soos said, presumably from out of nowhere, causing Dipper to turn quickly and yelp in surprise.

"Ah! What? Oh, Soos! How...how long were you standing there for?"

"Long enough, dude. Sounds like the girlfriend issues are getting deep." Soos remarked, but Dipper only responded with an obviously annoyed tone.

"There's no girlfriend issues, because she's not my girlfriend, alright? Everybody's just overreacting over nothing. I just went through having a disco dance-off with ghosts to save the both of us from being trapped with them! My legs are killing me, and for all I know, Wendy's just being nice and probably thinks I'm a major dork! Do you know what any of that's like? Do you?"

Clearly, Dipper was beginning to blow his top. Soos could only put his hands in front of apologetically, trying his best to calm his best friend down.

"Woah, dude, just cap it for a second! It looks like we all made it back in one piece, and that's what counts in the end, right?"

Dipper took a deep breath. Clearly, he was letting his perceived complications with Wendy bother him too much. "Yeah, you're right. I guess maybe I'm the one overreacting. But how did you make it back before us?"

Soos made a gesture as if all his day's exploits had been nothing special. "Ah, it was nothing. Turns out the two ghosts I hung with weren't too interested in trapping me or whatnot. Plus, when I found out the details on being a part of their crew, I had to respectfully decline. Dudes were pretty cool, though. They were some high-flying cats for sure."

"High-flying cats?" Dipper asked, definitely not used to hearing words like that coming out of Soos's mouth.

"Hey," Dipper then said, finally realizing something ultimately much more important than Soos's new lingo. "Where's Mabel?"

"Don't worry, Dipper!" came the confident voice of Mabel as she waltzed in through the gift shop door. "Wendy knows, and now you know! Your brave leader managed to make it back to base, completely unharmed!"

"Mabel? Mabel!" Dipper said with sudden happiness, hugging his sister tightly as the possibility of her having been in danger came back to his mind.

"What happened to you?" Dipper asked as he let her go, glad to know that she was indeed alright.

"Oh, nothing much. It just takes a little talking to those ghosts to get through to them. In fact, they're actually pretty nice once you get to know them." she remarked, but only Soos seemed to agree.

"Right on, Mabel." he said, once again surprising Dipper with his new jargon.

"Really?" Dipper said, somewhat doubtful. "Can't say it was the same for me and Wendy..."

Normally, Mabel might have been inclined to listen more to her brother's story, but she had other things on her mind.

At this point, Mabel had talked enough. She put an arm around Dipper's shoulder, leading him away from the door as she put on her best smooth-talking voice.

"Oh, that's all in the past now. The Mystery Busters are over. I believe what we all need is a good night's rest, don't you think?" Mabel suggested, much to Dipper's surprise. Of course, he couldn't have guessed his sister's true intentions if he tried.

"Yeah, that sounds good. Sleep sounds really good right now."

Her brother was a light sleeper, she remembered. Clearly, she would have to exercise some finesse with this, at least if she planned on not getting caught in the act.

"Great, Dipper," Mabel grinned, her voice just a little suspicious as she implied her plans through her next statement.

"...I'm glad we're on the same page."

* * *

Dipper never snored one bit when he slept, and frankly, that fact only made Mabel more nervous.

Having allowed her twin brother to fall asleep before her, she was quick to enact her brilliant plan without alerting him.

As she stepped over a snoozing Waddles, Mabel's deft fingers slowly reached for the prize waiting underneath Dipper's pillow. Though the weight of his big head offered some resistance, it wasn't much to fight against, and before long, she was in.

Like a small insect, her fingers scuttled around before stopping on her prize. She could feel its rugged cover underneath her fingertips. Mabel smiled as she got a good foothold, and pulled.

She felt fear strike her heart when she heard Dipper speak as the journal slid out from underneath his pillow.

"Mabel." he said, causing Mabel to freeze instantly. For the moment, it seemed to she'd been caught red-handed.

"...what about, Mabel, Wendy? She could organize the wedding. She's good...at that stuff..." Dipper mumbled in his sleep, clearly still quite caught up in his own fanciful dream.

Mabel just whispered a giggle to herself as she held the journal in hand.

Feeling quite triumphant, Mabel knew for a fact that she would definitely be sleeping quite wonderfully tonight.

* * *

The door to their room shut with a loud noise, loud enough that Dipper was quick to notice it as he emerged from the paradise in his sleep. Drifting out of his dream, he yawned as he sat up, the morning sun already coming through the window.

"Ugh, do you have to be so loud, Mabel?" he complained, only to receive no response.

He looked to his side, but his sister was nowhere to be found. Only traces of her remained.

Her bed was more of a mess than usual, telling Dipper that she had probably been in a hurry. Waddles had been left to wander around on the floor, where he would eventually look for stray socks underneath Dipper's bed.

But it wasn't the unkempt state of Mabel's side of the room that bothered Dipper. No, he was used to that by now.

It was the fact that as he felt his pillow, a large, square-like spot was missing. He pulled up the pillow, and when he looked underneath, only find nothing, worry hit him instantly with the force of a tidal wave.

But as he was about to blame himself for losing the journal, he looked back at the slightly ajar door, Mabel's messy bed, and then, he quickly put all the pieces together. However, he had to force himself to believe the answer, since it sounded like something he'd never, ever expect his sister to do.

Dipper could only gulp as he fathomed the forces Mabel now had in her hands.

"Oh boy..." Dipper said to himself, wondering what ever she could possibly need the journal for.

Nevertheless, whatever it was, Dipper wasn't just going to sit around and let it happen. The journal was a mystical tome full of secrets and power, and not exactly meant for just anyone. Dipper would have stop Mabel from doing something stupid with its power. He had a responsibility to her as her twin brother.

This was all for her own good, of course, Dipper thought as he put on his hat and threw on some clothes.

Hopefully, by the time this was all over, she'd understand that.

* * *

"So...is that everything?" Audrey asked, as Mabel nodded while they laid the finishing touches on the circle.

Using notes from Dipper's journal, Mabel had hit the jackpot when she discovered a method in which someone could actually tie a ghost to the material world, as long as they could remain tethered to a specific physical object.

The process required quite a bit of preparation, which Mabel and Audrey had spent all morning working on. Since their encounter yesterday, Audrey managed to convince her begrudging ghost friends that Mabel was no threat to them, nor was she a target for pranks. Audrey had managed to convince them that this formerly meddlesome human girl could be left alone.

And so, uninterrupted, they spent three hours working diligently on writing the incantations used in creating the ritual circle to bind Audrey back into the physical world.

And now, with the paintbrush she had once used in life, Mabel had the final piece in which she could use to give her friend the ability to travel wherever she pleased.

The circle itself was a sight to behold: a intricate set up of incantations, phrases and ancient symbols referenced straight from the pages of the journal itself. In the center, between converging lines of power, was the single paintbrush, pointed straight up towards the ceiling of Audrey's humble abode.

Now, all that was left was for Audrey to enter the center circle at exactly noon, and the process would begin.

Mabel checked the time on one of her various cat watches. They had about two minutes left. She looked towards Audrey, a confident smile on her face.

"Okay, girl. It's showtime! Prepare to feel hugs again!" she declared. The ghost girl simply smiled and nodded, before drifting towards the middle of the ritual circle.

Unfortunately for Mabel, if there was thing Dipper was good at, it was remembering things. And unknown to her, he had made quite the effort to run back to the only place he thought she might be. It a pretty blind lead, but lucky for him, it was the right one.

Out of breath from running all the way to the Gravitystock grounds as fast as he could, Dipper was quick to jump down into the hole made by the ghosts the night before, tumbling into the darkness as he did so.

Mabel and Audrey noticed his commotion immediately, which was more than enough to get Dipper's attention as he shook himself into focus and stared straight in their direction.

Though somewhat surprised that the blackness from before now opened up into a spacious room filled with lava lamps and other little knick-knacks, Dipper was quick to get to his point.

"Mabel, whatever you're doing, you've got to stop! The journal is not a toy!"

Mabel narrowed her eyes in annoyance. This was the literally last thing she needed right now.

"Don't butt in, Dipper! This is none of your business!" she replied, holding the journal against her in a protective manner.

"Oh really? Well, you've got my journal there, and I know for a fact you don't have any idea what kind of power you're messing with!" Dipper shouted, trying to get his point heard, but unaware of just how uncomfortable he was making the ghost girl nearby .

"Just go away! We don't need you and your dumb logic!" Mabel told him, throwing a nearby stuffed bear in an attempt to drive him off, but it only succeeded in annoying him further.

"Mabel!" he exclaimed as he shielded himself from a continued assault of more stuffed animals coming his way. "Be mature about this! This isn't some game!"

"You don't understand anything, Dipper, and I'm not going to let you get in our way! She's my friend, and I'm going to help her in the way I know best!"

Dipper looked in Audrey's direction, finally acknowledging the ghost girl's presence. He looked down on the intricate circle around her on the floor, noticing the paintbrush pointing up in the middle.

"Your friend? Mabel, she's a ghost! Just what do you think you're doing with her?"

A second passed as Mabel looked down on her watch. Noon had finally arrived. She smiled as she gave Dipper the response he very much did not want not to hear.

"Why don't you just sit back and find out? It's showtime!"

As if right on cue, a blast of light burst upwards from the paintbrush in the middle of the ritual circle, and the entire ground proceeded to shake with the force of an oncoming storm. Audrey defensively curled her arms back as she watched strange energies start to wrap around her.

Mabel just dropped the journal on the ground in complete astonishment, while Dipper could do nothing but take off his hat as he looked on upon the ensuing ritual.

But most fantastic of all, was that as the energies touched upon the wall where Audrey's mural lay, they literally stripped every speck of decades-old paint right off.

Even more amazing was that the liquid itself seemed to become as fresh as it might have been upon manufacture, circling around Audrey in a tornado before finally converging on her in one final burst.

Moments later, when the dust and powers from beyond finally settled, the twins were greeted with a new, surprising sight.

Audrey now stood upon the ground, but instead of being see-through and glowing with a blue aura, she had what looked like skin and tangible clothes.

However, they seemed to be made of all the colors drawn from the wall, and as she made her first tentative steps, she could hear a sticky pop as her feet literally left their mark on the ground. Amazed at this new occurrence, the ghost girl put her hands up to her face, and for the first time in over forty years, she could feel her own skin.

"I'm...I'm alive!" she shouted in absolute joy. Indeed, her tone also had a much different air to it, no longer retaining the quality of blowing wind. Plus, now she could actually feel her hair, and in it, was the lone paintbrush that had been used to jump-start the ritual in the first place.

"What did I tell you?" Mabel replied in triumph. "Now what's the first thing you need?"

"A...A hug?" Audrey asked, with a cute smile.

"You got that right!" Mabel answered with glee, and without another word, she skipped towards her once ghostly friend and gave her just that.

But instead of phasing right through her, this time, Mabel could actually made contact, and hugged her. Completely enamored with this new sensation, Audrey held onto her tightly, amazed at being able to physically feel anything after all these years. When she finally let go, Mabel could hear a sticky popping sound.

When she looked down at her once white sweater, she was surprised to see a random design of various color splotches now painted all over it. Naturally, she could only admire this accident, and revel in all the potential of the coming day now that her friend was freed from her ghostly bonds.

"So how does it feel, to be alive again?" Mabel asked, and Audrey just hugged her again in response, clearly happier than she could possibly describe.

"It's wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. Thank you, Mabel. Thank you so much." she said as she held on tight, holding back multicolored tears.

But the moment would soon be ruined, as a stunned Dipper would inevitably have to say what needed to be said, no matter how much of a jerk it made him sound like.

Picking the journal up, he flipped to the page Mabel had referenced, only to find that in all the commotion, it had somehow been ripped out, and now was nowhere to be found.

Closing the book shut, he looked at Mabel in disbelief.

"Mabel," he said, trying to absorb just about everything that happened.

All the trust he had for his twin sister seemed to disappear in just one sentence.

"What have you done?"

* * *

Outside, in the hot weather that had surfaced once noon had hit, a lone, blonde-haired girl just happened to be walking her family's prized poodle.

Annoyed at having to do anything for herself, annoyed at the unpleasant weather, annoyed at the dog's incessant yipping, but mostly annoyed at the Pines family; Pacifica Northwest just wanted to get this chore over with as soon as possible.

Her attention wasn't focused on anything above her, of course, so she took no notice to the drifting page of paper that had been pushed with the breeze.

And she wouldn't have said much of anything to Robbie, who happened to be passing her by on the sidewalk as the paper land right on top of her head. She was quick to notice the foreign object in her hair, grimacing as she reached for it.

"Ugh, people and their garbage! They're supposed to put it in the ocean, where it belongs!" Pacifica complained as she swatted the sheet away, causing it to hit Robbie in the face.

He frowned as he pulled it away. "Hey, watch it with your stuff, little girl!"

"You watch it, loser!" she shot back at him, but instead of responding, he just stared down at the paper with suddenly curious eyes.

The prissy little dog yipped again, but Pacifica ignored her as soon as she realized Robbie's attention was no longer on her.

"Hey! What are you looking at? What's so important that you don't have the time to get insulted?" she demanded to know, only for Robbie to smile as he continued to read the paper, which coincidentally had come right out of Dipper's journal.

"Hey, kid." Robbie said, looking away from the sheet and down at Pacifica. "Where did you get this?"

Having learned by now when the opportunity to lie could present itself, Pacifica was quick to adopt to an innocent but purposely subversive attitude.

She looked at her fingernails, as if she didn't care. "Who wants to know?"

Robbie smiled. "Oh, I don't know, anybody! Check this out, little girl!"

"Hey, I'm not little!" Pacifica complained, before getting a good look at the sheet of paper Robbie was now showing her.

But even after a minute of reading the information on accessing the afterlife, and bonding spirits to the material realm, she still didn't know what to think.

"I don't get it. What does all this junk mean? It sounds like something for nerds." she asked, now quite curious.

"Let me explain it real simple for you. I hear you're not a big fan of Mabel Pines, right?" Robbie asked, having heard the fact from hearsay around town.

Pacifica's now annoyed expression said it all.

"And you know, I'm not really too happy with her dorky little brother right now. So the way I see it, we've got some similar interests. We're singing the same tune. Do you see what's happening here?" Robbie asked.

Pacifica had to think about it for a moment. Her eyes widened as she thought about Robbie's words, and her face suddenly went hot. But she ended up crossing her arms and looking away from him, suddenly quite flustered.

"Are you...Are you hitting on me!?" Pacifica blurted out, much to the older boy's surprise.

Robbie hit himself in the forehead. "What? Ugh, no! I'm trying to say that we could team up! What you have right here, it's a ritual to bind a ghost. To make one of the undead into your permanent and loyal servant!"

"So what?" Pacifica remarked in response, clearly not taking him too seriously.

"What would I need some ancient ghost for? And let's not even talk about how crazy that sounds in the first place. I mean, what are you, one of those freaky ghost hunters?" she accused, but Robbie was too happy with this priceless find to be insulted any further.

"You could say that. The whole undeath and afterlife thing is like, totally one of my band's main themes, so yeah, you could say I'm a kind of expert." Robbie told her, his ego overflowing with every sentence.

"Just think about it for a moment. Wouldn't you rather someone else walk that noisy dog for you?"

Pacifica looked down in frustration at her still yipping poodle. Clearly, Robbie had a point.

"And wouldn't it be nice to have somebody make sure that Mabel Pines never, ever gets under your skin, ever again?" Robbie offered, and from the smile he noticed growing on Pacifica's face, he knew he had hit home.

"Okay, I'm in, if it means that loser gets what's coming to her. What do I have to do?" she asked, now more interested than ever.

The opportunity to get back at Mabel, to give her what was coming to her as payback for the ensuring embarrassment of finding out her great-great-grandfather wasn't the founder of Gravity Falls, that, now that was something money just couldn't buy.

"All you gotta do is listen to me, and we'll be riding on revenge for sure. The name's Robbie, by the way, though I'm sure you've heard of my band by now." he remarked smugly.

Pacifica just laughed to herself and gave him a sly smile. "Heard of you? Ha! I don't think I need to introduce myself, if you're not the loser I think you are.

"Yeah, it's Pacifica, right?" Robbie said, as his eyes absorbed the contents of the page. "Like the ocean?"

"'Hey, don't go comparing me to something that big and stupid, okay?" Pacifica barked, but Robbie just let her attitude slide.

"Okay, okay. Keep your shorts on." he said, reassuring her as best as he could.

Clearly, there was great power here that they could only begin to try and understand. But if Robbie understood some of it correctly, it would serve as the perfect tool of revenge for the meddling little boy who stole his girlfriend from right under his nose.

"I'm just glad. Glad that when it comes to Mabel and Dipper Pines..."

He looked at the page again, then back at her, smiling deviously.

"...we're exactly on the same page."

* * *

**Now is that a chapter, or what? **

**Since Gideon's too much a big part of the main story, I always wondered, what would it be like if Robbie and Pacifica teamed up? Kind of unsettling isn't it? Maybe a new ship? **

**Only time will tell! You guys will just all have to wait and see what's in store for Mabel and Dipper, and exactly what nefarious plot Robbie and Pacifica have planned for them, so stay tuned!**


	4. Part 4

**And another new chapter is here! This time, brother and sister collide as the fate of Mabel's new ghostly friend hangs in the balance.**

**Judging from how things are going, I believe this story is probably going to end up being longer than Grow Up or Go Home was, so be prepared for quite the ride. After all, it is supposed to be quite the unnormal tale.**

**But you don't have to hear it from me. Just read, review and enjoy the chapter below!**

* * *

Too much had happened at once. Way too much.

So much, in fact, that Dipper wasn't really sure what to say in response. He wasn't even so sure of what should be said, let alone what he could say.

But here was, with his dear twin sister, and the ghost girl that she had just turned into a mortal. Or at least, she was a semblance of something mortal. From what he could discern, Dipper noted that she wasn't as much "living" as she was physical, made of the very paint she'd been using for her art these past decades.

But while Mabel was overjoyed at the fact that she could now touch and interact with Audrey, Dipper could only imagine the true ramifications of the ritual that had just been enacted.

"Oh, come off it, Dipper." Mabel replied in response to his ominous declaration from just moments ago, putting a sunny tone of voice. "Everything's totally fine now, so stop being such a worry-wart!"

Dipper walked towards her and Audrey, journal in hand, and a frustrated expression on his face that only seemed to be growing with each step.

"Fine? Fine!? You think this is all fine!" he started, his voice rising with each sentence. "Do you even know what you've done?"

Mabel could see that this could get ugly quickly. She was quick to put herself between Dipper and Audrey, holding her arms out to defend her new friend.

"Yeah, I do. I just gave her freedom. She's not a trapped spirit anymore, all thanks to me, and no thanks to you!"

Dipper felt like hitting himself, unable to fathom why his sister was acting so immature and irresponsible at a time like this. He could only wonder if it had something to do with their short time as "were-teens."

"Mabel, just listen to me for one second, okay? Try to reasonable, please. This isn't a game." Dipper pleaded, but judging from the pouting face Mabel was wearing, it seemed he was getting nowhere.

Surprisingly though, Audrey drifted out from behind Mabel, tired of being protected like this.

"Why don't you go ahead?" she suggested, gesturing to Mabel to go with her brother, hoping that she might be able to calm him down. The paint-covered ghost girl was never one to particularly enjoy conflict.

Mabel simply looked on at her in astonishment. "You can still fly? Does that mean you still have your awesome powers?"

"I...I'm not sure." Audrey replied, indeed a bit impressed herself that she still did retain these abilities despite her new, corporeal nature.

"Anyway, I'll just wait here. You go along and talk with your brother about...whatever it is you need to talk about." Audrey told them, further demonstrating her remaining power by physically lifting up a section of her abode's wall, revealing the bright, sunny outside that was the main lawn of Gravitystock grounds.

Mabel didn't seem to be a big fan of this idea though. She turned towards her friend, an extremely concerned look on her face.

"You sure?" she asked, hoping for some sort of rebuttal, but Audrey just nodded confidently.

"Come along, Mabel." Dipper said, glad to know that this ghost seemed more reasonable than the others. Frustrated that she didn't exactly get her way, Mabel just pushed him away as he tried to pull her along, but still followed him out.

Moments later, they were outside, and in supposed privacy. Sighing deeply, Dipper put both of his hands on sister's shoulders, hoping he could explain the following to her as easily as possible.

"Just be honest with me, please. Why on Earth did you think that stealing my journal, and using it to bind a ghost so you could have it as a friend, was even remotely okay by me?"

His sister frowned, before pushing him off. From the sound of her voice, she was very sick of her brother's meddling.

"First of all, it's not even your journal. You told me you found it! Which means that you should be able to share it with your only sister, and not hog it all for yourself!" Mabel exclaimed, registering all of Dipper's so-called "logic" as nothing more than pure selfishness.

"Share? Share!? Mabel, what are you saying?" Dipper replied, getting more and more frustrated by the second. "I can't just share it with you! Do you know how dangerous the knowledge inside this journal is? Are you even aware of the powers you've been messing with?"

Mabel gestured Dipper away, as if he was a bothersome fly. "Like you know so much! What could possibly be so bad about what I did for Audrey?"

Dipper narrowed his eyes. Clearly, Mabel was practically asking for it now. He opened up the journal in front of her, flipping through the pages to the page just after the one that had been mysteriously removed.

"Oh really? Take a look, Mabel, and then tell me again that what you did was harmless." he declared, practically shoving the contents of the two open pages right in front of her face.

Though quite annoyed at her brother, Mabel did actually take the time to read through the pages in front of her, and as her mind processed the words and the hand-written passages, she suddenly felt a quick, painful dryness in her throat.

Dipper knew in an instant that his sister's sudden silence meant that at some level, she was beginning to understand.

"Now do you get it? You opened a hole when you put Audrey through the ritual back there. A tear on the cosmic plane that the living exist on. You opened a portal into the afterlife, the Ghost Zone, whatever you want to call it." Dipper explained, trying to be patient even though Mabel had made it quite difficult thus far.

"And if there's an open portal, it means that things can, and will, waltz right in to get to the other side. By binding Audrey to the physical world, you've opened the way for paranormal entities with far more dangerous intentions than just finding something to paint." he finished, hoping that the more dire he sounded, the quicker Mabel might be able to come to some sense and understand.

Though she feigned not believing him, deep down, Mabel was starting to realize she may have made quite the mistake.

"Oh, I don't see what the big deal is. She's just one ghost..." she argued, trying to come to her own solid defense. Dipper clearly seemed tired of hearing it.

"Stop, just stop. We're going to fix this now, before it gets out of hand. And we're going to fix it together, okay? We're going to walk back in there, undo the ritual, and put Audrey where she belongs."

And with those words, Dipper tucked the journal back under his arm and walked towards the opening that Audrey had made for them earlier. As far as he was concerned, he was reversing the process done on her, and there was nothing his sister could say to convince him otherwise.

"What? That's not fair! She was supposed to come to my sleepover and everything!" Mabel protested, but Dipper wouldn't hear any of it.

"This is for her own good, and yours too, Mabel. The sooner we get her back, the sooner we can stop worrying. None of these ghosts are even supposed to be here in the first place." he commented, looking through the journal as Mabel followed.

"What do you mean? Audrey said they can't leave this place even if they tried. This is their home, right?" she questioned, somewhat intrigued even though she was very worried about the prospect of potentially losing her new friend.

"I'm not exactly sure, but the journal says that beings like her...they don't stick around for this long. There's some reason, something holding them back. But we won't know for sure until we turn her back into a true ghost. At least once that happens, the hole will be plugged..." Dipper replied, too focused on the journal to look ahead or notice that the opening to the outside had abruptly closed behind Mabel.

"I'm...I'm not going back!" Audrey suddenly announced, catching Dipper by surprise as she floated down in front of him. Little did Dipper know that she had been listening in on them this whole time, and she was not too happy upon hearing that her new "life" was to be reversed.

Dipper shut the journal slowly, wondering if this ghost-girl would turn out to be anywhere near as reasonable as his sister.

"I know it's hard, but Mabel made a mistake, and now, we have to fix it." he tried to explain, but it was becoming increasingly obvious that his pleas were falling upon deaf ears. "We have to send you back to being a ghost; for your own good."

"So that's what you think I am?" Audrey declared, now sounding quite angry as she rose in the air, her hair being uplifted by the force she could channel to influence objects. "A mistake!?"

"Well, no! I'm just trying to fix her mistake!" Dipper tried to say, but a growing vortex around Audrey was beginning to drown out all noise. Dipper covered his eyes as the forces became too powerful and threatened to pull the journal right out of his grip.

"Quiet! Mabel's right! You're just...you're just in the way! Someone's always getting in the way of the people I care about!"

The girl's eyes flashed in a myriad of colors, as the paint that made up her body surged outwards in front of her in an undulating stream.

"But not anymore!" Audrey declared, as Dipper could only put his tiny arms up in defense as the stream came down at him like a serpent. Even Mabel herself was taken aback at this sudden display of aggression from her ghost friend, backing away as the color settled around Dipper.

When the commotion finally stopped, Dipper found himself in what looked like a small cage, made entirely of solidified paint.

But as Dipper pushed against some of the bars, he found that the "paint" had solidified to the point where it felt and reacted more like marble. And as he pushed against it with what little pre-teen might he possessed, he found that it wouldn't budge or crack no matter how hard he tried.

"Uh, a little help?" he asked, but his sister couldn't give him an immediate response. Too amazed at what she had just witnessed, and quite conflicted on what exactly she should do, Mabel simply watched as Audrey drifted back down, her expression now calm and relaxed.

"So you were saying...sleepover?" Audrey then asked innocently, as a still unsure Mabel just glanced at Dipper in his new prison before looking back at her friend.

However, it quickly became apparent that Dipper's fate would be sealed, as a triumphant grin slowly appeared on Mabel's face. Taking Audrey's arm in hers, she looked back at Dipper one last time.

"You know it! And let me assure that this will be the most awesome sleepover ever. I'm positive you're going to love my friends." she told Audrey with much enthusiasm. The ghost girl simply smiled back at her, before the two friends proceeded to walk off towards their planned day of fun.

Dipper could only shake the bars of his paint prison, still unable to believe what was happening. And just outside his bars was the journal. Unfortunately for him, it seemed to be just out of reach. He cursed himself for having such scrawny, short arms before turning his attention to his departing sister.

"Mabel? You can't just leave me here like this!" he pleaded in desperation, with enough panic in his tone that he managed to cause Audrey and his sister to stop in their tracks. At least, he thought he was what stopped them

"Oh, wait! I almost forgot something." Mabel told her friend, before skipping back towards Dipper.

"Get me out of here! You know how I hate small spaces!" her brother demanded, but instead of trying to force the bars, she simply picked up the journal off the ground and smiled to herself, reveling in her victory.

"Looks like I was right once again, Dipper. But don't worry, the cage isn't permanent. Audrey says the bars should melt away in a little bit. Until then, I'll be sure to keep this safe, and it looks like we've got some partying to do! See you later!" Mabel exclaimed, in one of the most infuriating, but also sweet, voices she could muster.

As Dipper shook the bars violently, trying his best to break free, and watched a giggling Mabel walk away with not only his journal, but the ghost girl whose existence endangered them all, he had little to no idea to what he could possibly do to fix all this.

"Mabel? Mabel! You can't do this!" he pleaded again, trying to sound as convincing as possible.

"She's not meant to leave her! None of this is supposed to be happening! But we can still fix this, if you just lis-"

His last few words went unheard, and he stopped with his yelling as Audrey closed the opening into her abode behind her, cutting off his source of light and leaving him in almost pitch black darkness.

It took Dipper a good couple of seconds to realize just how bad this situation was turning out to be, before he leaned his forehead against the bars and made a deep sigh.

Realizing his plight, but so taken aback by his sister's behavior, Dipper could only look on at vague, dark image of the blank wall ahead.

He had tried his absolute best to fix this mess, and from the looks of it, he had failed.

It was exactly as he had thought time and time again.

Without the journal to give him answers, he was nothing.

* * *

"Oh my gosh, this is the most fun I've ever had since like, my dad let me punch a sleeping bear!" said none other than Grenda, whose masculine laugh contrasted heavily against the more girly giggles of Mabel and Candy.

Having exhausted their usual activities of talking about boys, watching romantic comedies, and gossiping about everyone under the sun, Mabel and her friends had taken to something a bit more unorthodox to pass the time as the night set in.

For the last hour, Audrey had taken to manually dyeing everyone's hair in just about any color they could ever desire. Grenda herself was currently admiring her now neon pink follicles in one of the large mirrors Mabel kept in the closet on the side of her room.

Grenda laughed as she stood back to back with Candy, who was busy marveling at her now turquoise hair, which seemed to shimmer brilliantly in the light.

"Oh. It glitters like machine surface. Very future-cool." Candy said in her distinctly cute, accented voice, clearly admiring her new hairdo very much.

"I knew this was gonna be awesome. What did I tell you all? No matter how crazy or wild they sound, this is just more proof that my plans always deliver in the end!" Mabel confidently commented from her bed, her legs kicking back and forth as watched her friends inspect their new styles. Meanwhile, Audrey was getting to work on applying a fresh coat of crimson to Mabel's hair.

The ghost girl had said relatively little in the time she had attended this so-called sleepover. From what she remembered as a child herself, most kids her age had never really slept over at friend's houses, and so an experience like this one was quite new to her.

But even in all this unfamiliarity, and even though Audrey hadn't said very much to anyone besides Mabel, she was still having quite the time.

Having been a ghost for too long now, if there was anything she dearly missed, it was the sensation of being alive.

And whenever Mabel looked back at her with that metallic smile of hers, Audrey felt more alive than ever. Being able to touch and feel just seemed like icing on top of the cake.

"I'm glad that I can make things fun for you." Audrey remarked, focusing as she removed the existing blue paint from Mabel's hair, and absorbing it back into her body.

The longer she spent in this paint-filled form, the more she found herself able to control her own outflow, and luckily, she hadn't left much of a trail when she followed Mabel and her friends up to their room. This fact seemingly made it easier for the four of them to sneak their way upstairs, lest they attract the attention of her Grunkle Stan, Mabel had told her earlier.

"You're glad? I'm glad we're doing this in the first place. I knew I was right the whole time." Mabel remarked, as she looked at the emerging crimson color now appearing in her hair.

"You just helped me prove it. So thanks a million for that."

Audrey stopped for a second as she gauged Mabel's words. Suddenly, she couldn't help but feel just a little guilty, as thoughts of a boy trapped in colored cage entered her mind.

"Maybe I shouldn't have just left your brother like that. I might...I might have overreacted a little bit." Audrey admitted, but Mabel seemed to laugh at the concern in her voice.

"Oh, don't worry about it. He kind of deserved it for being such a stickler. And you said the paint would melt eventually, right? Dipper's probably fine. I'm sure he'll walk in through the gift shop any minute now." Mabel replied, clearly not too worried herself about Dipper's current condition.

Audrey gulped, but continued to work on Mabel's hair anyway. What she hadn't told Mabel, of course, was that the paint wasn't going to melt, unless Audrey herself was there to liquify it.

But even though she mentally fought herself to tell Mabel this fact, Audrey knew that doing so might cost her their blossoming friendship. And she definitely didn't need any more loss in this new life of her's. She'd had quite enough of that in her previous existence.

"Yup. Any minute now." Mabel said quite non-nonchalantly, as Audrey herself could only wonder just how resourceful Dipper was, and just how bored her ghost friends might be at this very moment...

* * *

For the last five minutes, Dipper had found little else to do than to bang his head against the hard paint bars, which currently kept him prisoner under the stage where the infamous Gravitystock had taken place decades ago.

He still couldn't believe any of it.

For the past twelve years of his life, Mabel had been the constant he thought he'd never lose. She'd been there for him through thick and thin, and they'd been able to share anything, do anything, be anything; as long as they were with each other.

But now, in this dark hour, it seemed Mabel had taken a very dangerous path. Taking forbidden knowledge from the journal Dipper himself had found in the forest, her unrestrained use of its powers would only lead to the downfall of possibly all of Gravity Falls, Oregon, and everyone in it.

But it wasn't these dark thoughts that truly bothered Dipper.

No, it was the fact that his sister, his twin sister, the one person he'd known since the very, very beginning, had betrayed him, just like that.

And that thought alone was more painful than any rejection Wendy could ever give him, any weapon Gideon could ever use against him, or any insult Robbie could ever throw at him.

But while Dipper brooded quietly on sister's behavior, forces gathered nearby. Forces that didn't exactly fancy Dipper very much.

As he looked on from inside the colorful paint prison, he was greeted with the sight of a tall, gangly ghost, whose hair was fashioned in a black pompadour.

Next to this spectre, was what looked like an old record player, still covered in quite a bit of dust. Though he didn't seem to able to touch the record player itself, the ghost still seemed to have some kind of otherworldly influence over it. Above the surface of the player, a record hung suspended in the air, as the Elvis-impersonating ghost came down right to Dipper's eye level.

"Well, hello there, friend." the ghost said, his accent thick and devious intentions very much apparent in his voice.

"What do you want?" Dipper asked, his voice quite bland and uncaring. "Can't you see I'm trying to be in despair here?"

The ghost chuckled in response, before floating back over towards the record player.

"Oh, don't mind me. I'm just...well, I just wanted to give you a little atmosphere. I know Audrey's been difficult lately, but I still do notice whenever someone is trying to do her wrong." he stated, as the floating record slowly drifted down upon the black surface of the player.

"And anyone trying to do little Audrey wrong, well, they're gonna be wishing 'ol Elliot here didn't hear about it." the ghost declared, laughing evilly at the end of his statement as music began to play in the air.

Dipper's eyes widened as he felt a chill come down his spine.

There was no escape, he realized. At least, not one that he could think of within the next ten seconds.

So as the ghost laughed, and the unpleasant, scratching music began to play in the air, Dipper could only sigh as total despair finally washed over him.

It seemed that for the past twelve years, Dipper had been wrong. He'd been wrong for so long, and he never knew it, never thought about, until now.

In the end, it seemed Mabel wasn't the trustworthy, loving and dependable sister with the grappling hook that he had always believed her to be.

That was nothing more than a fanciful dream.

* * *

**Oh man! Looks like Mabel really did it this time! Will Dipper ever be able to forgive her? Will he ever escape from his painterly prison? And what of the dire consequences on the horizon, and the plans of a vengeful Pacifica Northwest and Robbie V? **

**Is Gravity Falls destined to be flooded by vengeful spirits? And will Dipper and Mabel be able to make it through alright in the end?**

**Only time will tell! Stay tuned for the next chapter to find out!**


	5. Part 5

**New chapter coming your way, people! Lots of developments, lots of crazy stuff, but why would I go ruining it for you?**

**Read, review, enjoy! I do hope you all like how this tale is developing so far!**

* * *

Wendy didn't remember the last time she had been as giggly as Mabel and her friends were being right now.

In fact, the red-haired teen vaguely remembered a time when she was really girly at all. Trying to focus on her magazine as opposed to her work, Wendy still could not help but listen as Mabel and her friends continued to make a cavaclade of noise upstairs in her room. Wendy flipped through a few pages in this week's issue of Indy Fuzz, sighing as nothing even remotely interesting caught her eye.

Clearly, this night shift was turning out to the the total bore she thought it would be. It was only made worse by the fact that Dipper wasn't around, for whatever reason.

Grunkle Stan's signature chainsaw snore signified that he was knocked out completely, to the point where Wendy figured no amount of girlish partying would be waking him up anytime soon.

But as the minutes went on, and the pre-teens upstairs seemed to go on without end, Wendy was having more and more trouble just ignoring their loud antics.

Finally, when she could hear the sound of Sev'ral Timez blaring from Mabel's room, and the stomping and chanting became too much, Wendy proceeded to do the unexpected.

She decided to do something about the problem, and got off her lazy bottom.

Putting her magazine down in front of her, the tall red-head proceeded to make her way upstairs. But as she scaled the steps, she couldn't help but notice the flecks of paint that seemed to be scattered along each step. Inspecting the mix of colors on the top step, which ranged from brilliant blues to fiery reds, Wendy was quick to dismiss the paint as anything strange.

Opening the door to Mabel's room, she poked her head in, trying to sound as calm and carefree as possible.

"Hey guys? Having a blast in here?" Wendy asked, smiling as she eyed Mabel and her friends.

Of course, what they didn't know was that she only spent the time and energy to come up here because their afroeimented blast was actually starting to get on her nerves.

"Oh, you know it, Wendy!" Mabel declared over the sound of the music, as she, Candy and Grenda danced their hearts out in the middle of the room. Audrey seemed content sitting on Dipper's bed just watching them, barely reacting at all when Wendy interrupted.

"You should totally come get down with us, girl!" Grenda practically growled, as she and Candy spun around in their best imitation of the boy pop stars the admired so much.

"The path to true happiness is in funky music, yes?" Candy added as the three girls laughed in unison. Wendy could only put on her best fake laugh as she surveyed the room, noticing Audrey, whom she didn't recognize, sitting on Dipper's bed.

"Sure, sure, in a little bit." Wendy remarked, as she walked inside the room. "And if you guys could just lower the tunes just a little bit, that would be awesome. This night shift is so dragging on."

"Then you should totally join us right now, Wendy! You could teach us your secret dating tips." Mabel suddenly suggested, as she and her two close friends became wide-eyed at the prospect of learning from such an experienced, pretty girl like Wendy.

But as flattered as she was, the teen seemed less than enthusiatic over the idea.

"Ah, no, that's alright. I really gotta get back downstairs." Wendy replied, clearly not wanting to stick around for much longer.

Finally, she remembered him again, and questioned why he wasn't here to hang with her.

Wendy blinked. "Hey, have any of you seen Dipper around? We were supposed to hang tonight."

Indeed, Dipper had promised he would hang with Wendy tonight, and she hoped it would help make her long night shift all the more bearable. When he didn't end up showing up, even Wendy had to admit that she had felt some deja vu from the multiple times Robbie had stood her up.

Audrey eyed Wendy in an instant the moment she heard Dipper's name. She defensively curled back on the boy's bed, holding her legs to her chest before looking away.

"I can't keep tabs on my brother all the time, Wendy." Mabel declared in mid-dance, as the music continued to blare, annoying Wendy more with each passing second. "What am I, his keeper?"

Wendy narrowed her eyes. Something about Mabel's voice, the way she seemed to be so non-chalantly answering, was very off. And when Wendy looked towards Audrey, her suspicions were confirmed.

All Wendy needed to see was the ghost girl flipping through Dipper's journal, only she didn't touch it with a single finger as she did so. And when Audrey herself realized Wendy could see what she was doing, all the ghost girl could really do was gasp lightly, shut the book, and push it aside.

But Wendy had seen all she needed to see now now.

"You know what?" she said, suddenly quite serious. "You guys keep having a blast. I got something I need to take care of. Just don't burn the Shack down while I'm gone, okay?"

Mabel continued pumping her fists in the air, clearly too into the music for her own good. "Yeah, I don't know about that, cause my feet are on fire here!

"Let's take this to the limit!" Grenda shouted as Candy joined in right after her.

"My body temperature is rising in my brain. Dance combustion is imminent!" the Asian girl added, before the three girls began chanting to the music together.

Audrey just remained silent and continued to watch them, and it didn't seem to matter much to Mabel or her friends either way.

At this point, Wendy was quite finished.

Shutting the door behind her, and glad to be free of the brunt of that infernal pop music, Wendy made her way towards the off-limits security room downstairs.

Once inside, she opened up the small closet in the corner within, and Wendy looked down and eyed the somewhat ramshackle ghost-hunting device Soos had just so recently constructed. Putting it on her back, she ignored its added weight as she made her way out of the shack and in the direction of the Gravitystock grounds.

"Guess this night shift turned out to more work than I thought..." Wendy said to herself, as she switched the ghost-busting device to active and went on her way.

Dipper was about to owe her big time.

* * *

He wasn't exactly sure how much he would possibly have been able to stand, but either way, Dipper knew that each successive play would just be more unbearable than the last.

Having tried his best to tune it out, Dipper could only listen to the sound of "Jailhouse Rock" combined with the ghost Elliot's aged, decreipt singing, before it was all becoming too much for his preteen mind to handle.

"...oh, this is something, ain't it, boy?" the ghost said with a hearty laugh, as a struggling Dipper just kept his head against the bars, trying to tune out the constant, annoying music.

"Come on, boy." the ghost said, his voice somehow unpleasantly clear despite the grainy, droning music. "Say something. I know for a fact that you're soul hasn't passed on just yet."

"You want me to say something?" Dipper said, finally too annoyed to remain silent any longer. "Fine, I'll say something."

He leaned close to the bars, staring at the ghost with the most serious and determined gaze he could muster. "Let me go! If I don't get Audrey back here soon, it could spell the end for all of us!"

For a moment, the ghost seemed to actually think on that notion, drifting around Dipper with a finger on his chin.

"Not really a bad thought, boy." he remarked, looking up in thought. "She has been some trouble, hanging around with those living like they're as good as her ghostly family."

But just as Dipper thought he might have made a breakthrough, Elliot simply grinned through what were left of his teeth. "But you know, I'm thinking we can have a little more fun before I send you to fetch little Audrey. It's not every day I get one of the living to really mess around with like this."

"Ugh, just what is your issue?! I thought you ghosts were supposed to be trying not to stick around. Isn't there somewhere better you can all be? Somewhere nicer than this old place?" Dipper asked, hoping he could cool the ghost off in his attempt to sound sympathetic.

Unforunately, it seemed to have the opposite effect.

"Don't tell me where we're supposed to be, boy!" Elliot growled, clearly offended. "We got a good thing going in this place. This is our home, and that's what it's been for for as long as I can remember. And I'm not gonna let no bunch of jelly-filled living tell me or my family otherwise."

For a moment, Dipper could see what looked like sadness appear in the ghost's eyes as he continued to speak. "And even if I wanted to go, even if I could help get my little Audrey to the place she deserves, I can't. We've tried, and we've failed. So it seems only fair, that you living suffer in return, as we've suffered."

But the sadness was fleeting, replaced quickly with malice. Elliot grinned at Dipper as he moved in closer. "Tell me, boy. You ever know what it's like to be possesed? For us ghosts, it's kind of like driving a shiny new Cadillac."

Dipper backed away to the other side of his hardened paint cage, a frightened look growing on his face as the ghost came closer. Clearly, the bars would offer no real protection against Elliot's incorporeal form.

"Let's just hope I don't end up with any flat tires, if you catch my drift." the ghost added, with an evil laugh as he seemed to come just close enough to sift through the bars and take over Dipper as he was promising.

Having seen what happened to his sister those weeks ago at the Dusk 2 Dawn, Dipper could only close his eyes and put his hands up in weak defense, waiting for the inevitable to come.

But instead of feeling the cold, clammy sensation of being mentally dominated by a being from beyond, he instead heard the sound of high-pressure air shooting just beyond the bars of his cage.

There was a loud shriek as Elliot's form was burst asunder, and Dipper could only open his eyes ever so slightly as he looked to see what was going on.

His formerly frightened look quickly turned into one of pure joy as he saw none other than Wendy kicking over the old record player and finally putting the infernal music loop to a stop.

"Ugh, I am seriously having it with these tunes today." she remarked, before looking towards a now extremely excited and grateful Dipper.

"Wendy! You...you came for me!"

The tall red-head kneeled down to his level, smiling as she inspected him and realized he was okay. "Of course. You got me out of a jam the other day. Now I'm returning the favor."

She kicked against the paint prison, and as Dipper might have expected, it didn't budge one bit. "Once I figure out how I'm gonna bust you out of here..."

Freed from fear, Dipper's mind seemed to work like clockwork, and his eyes surveyed the area for something to help them out. When realized just how many lava lamps were lying around them in Audrey's abode, he had a come up with a solution in record time.

"Wendy! Get as many of those lava lamps as you can and start smashing. I don't know how long that ghost-busting gear puts these ghosts out of commision, but I'd rather not find out." Dipper remarked, as Wendy began gathering lava lamps from all around, eventually carrying back a good five of them in her arms.

"I'm right with you on that, Dipper." the red-head replied, before breaking the top of one of the lava lamps in her hand over the bars.

A sizzle could be heard as the hot liquid did its work, and Dipper thanked his lucky stars as slowly but surely, his painterly prison melted away.

* * *

"I don't know what I would have done without you back there. Thanks, Wendy." Dipper said, clearly grateful as he and Wendy made their way away from the haunted grounds and back to the familiar safety of the Mystery Shack.

"No worries." she reassured him, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Your sister was acting all weird. I dunno, call it me having a hunch. I felt like a regular Velma back there."

Dipper laughed in response to the reference, but nevertheless, could not just shake off the thought of his sister's recent behavior.

"I can't even begin to understand what's going on. I know Mabel can get pretty ridiculous about her friends, but, she's never been this selfish before..." Dipper remarked, wondering again what could possibly have driven his sister to do all the things she had done.

It couldn't have just been a need for an unnormal friendship with a ghost, could it?

"Maybe she got possessed or something. You said yourself that Elvis wannabe was going to take you over, right?" Wendy asked, which of course, made Dipper think for a moment.

But the more he thought about, the more he felt like dismissing the idea that Mabel was possessed. After all, he had seen her like that before, and it was definitely unsettling enough that he'd know if she was going through the same thing again.

"I don't think so. It's more like Mabel's acting totally on emotion, like Audrey's her sister or something. Seeing Mabel treat her like she was family, and treating me like I wasn't..."

The sadness on Dipper's face made his next few words all the more meaningful, as he took the hat off his head and held it close to his chest.

"...yeah, it really hurt, Wendy." Dipper said, putting a hand on his chest. "Like right here, you know?"

"I get what you mean." Wendy replied as they walked, getting a little sad herself from just hearing Dipper's sincere words. "Nobody likes it when family gets all crazy like that."

Dipper sighed, the memories of a selfish and unfamiliar Mabel coming back to him. "I guess a lot it has to do with us being twins. I mean, we've been together since the beginning. We always come to terms on everything. This is just kind of hard to believe."

"If you want me to be totally honest, I don't know if I can even face Mabel right now. Especially with her ghost friend still up there in our room..." Dipper admitted, though it didn't surprise Wendy very much.

"Hey, it's cool." Wendy said in her most optimistic tone. "We can totally crash in the living room. That couch fits like, what, two people, at least?"

Dipper stopped in his tracks upon hearing this, and it took all of Wendy's willpower to not burst out in laughter as she watched his face turn beet red. He turned to her, his voice quite embarassed.

"W-W-What? You mean just the two of us? Sleeping together? On the same...same couch?"

Wendy laughed before slapping Dipper on the back. "Ah, lighten up. I'm just messing with you. Consider it just a sleepover between buds."

Once he got the joke, Dipper laughed, although quite awkwardly. Either Wendy was trying to really eke out all of the innermost feelings he had for her, or maybe he was just taking everything involving her too way seriously.

It didn't really matter, Dipper thought.

It was just a wonder that at a time like this, Dipper still couldn't help but think of his sister, even though he was being given something he often dreamed of; the opportunity to hang out with Wendy for such extended periods of time. Even if he did have to sleep on a different couch.

But they'd still be in the same room.

Just thinking about that reminded Dipper of feelings he had once thought were reserved for his formerly teenage self. Feelings he hoped would go away sooner rather than later...

* * *

Saying goodbye to her friends had been quite the sweet sorrow, Mabel realized, once the sleepover was over. With just Audrey left to accompany her, she quick to find something for them to do to fill up the wee hours of the ensuing day.

And so somehow, they had made their way to the water tower at the edge of town, where Robbie had infamously spray-painted his so-called "explosion" some time earlier.

After Audrey had throughly made sure they had a clean slate to design on, the two friends were quick to get to work on their latest collaborative project.

"This is so awesome. Just think, maybe one day we could totally paint the Statue of Liberty. I always thought it would have looked cooler in purple." Mabel remarked, as Audrey used her ghostly abilities to influence the paint making up her corporeal form.

Like a master, she weaved the streams of color in and out, applying it lightly and precisely to various parts of the water tower's front. In accordance with Mabel's "Royal Dolphin" design, it seemed that once they did their respective parts, the work itself would definitely be done by the end of the day.

"I remember this tower." Audrey said, somewhat out of the blue and without completely thinking. "I played under it with my friends back when my parents were at Gravitystock..."

"Woah." Mabel said, as she put a hand on Audrey's somewhat sticky shoulder, interrupting her for the moment. "You were at Gravitystock? That must mean you're at least..."

Audrey smiled. "...pretty old. A geezer, I know."

"Ah, the years don't count if you're a ghost." Mabel commented. A moment later, the expression on Audrey's face, the one that showed momentary sadness, made Mabel think twice about what she had just said.

"Sorry. I mean, it doesn't count for you, cause now you're not so old anymore. You're just like me." she reassured her friend, who in return simply put a paint-covered hand on Mabel's shoulder as she continued to apply the design to the water tower. Luckily, Mabel had worn another blank white sweater today.

All this time though, Mabel had not once questioned her unnormal friendship with this ghost girl, and the lengths it had driven her to. It was only her brother, who at his very moment approached the water tower with his reclaimed journal in hand, who knew the danger that having Audrey around like this truly posed.

And as much as it pained him, he knew he'd have to confront his sister again sooner or later. And judging from earlier, he had a good feeling Mabel wasn't going to react very well to it all.

"Alright, Mabel!" Dipper announced as loud as he possibly could, unabiding as his sister and her friend did their artistic thing high above. "I've had enough with playing around! Audrey needs to go back before anything else gets out of hand!"

He could see his sister's head peeking down from the side-rail of the water tower above, though he couldn't exactly guage the expression on her face.

"Let's make this nice and easy, Mabel. Why don't you just come down quietly and we can talk about this like we're supposed; just brother to sister." he suggested. The more Dipper stood there, looking up at the water tower above, the more this was feeling like a hostage situation rather than an attempt to communicate with his sister.

But then again, Wendy had made a good point before. Perhaps something about the binding ritual had affected Mabel in more ways than one. Clearly, Dipper soon realized, when she was near Audrey, she wasn't entirely in the right state of mind.

So Dipper couldn't help but be very much surprised when he saw Mabel talk to Audrey for a moment, before the two turned to glance at Dipper. They exchanged a few more words, before Mabel alone started her way down the ladder, much to Dipper's relief.

Judging by the art supplies they had lugged up there, Dipper was sure he'd be feeling a barrage of brushes and paint in retaliation for trying to fix things with his twin once again.

He took a deep breath as he approached his sister, who seemed more disappointed than truly angry.

"You're just going to keep doing this, aren't you?" Mabel questioned, her tone very saddened. Dipper could only do what he thought was best as a brother, putting a hand on her sweatered shoulder in an attempt to comfort her.

"We have to. If we don't, then Gravity Falls will end up getting swallowed up by ghosts before we can even think about busting them." Dipper explained, trying to sound sincere.

Mabel could only frown in response, of course, before looking back up at Audrey, who seemed to be waiting patiently for her to come back up.

"But she's my friend. I only wanted to help her, Dipper." Mabel began, and from what Dipper could see, there were what looked like tears welling up in her eyes.

Slowly, Dipper could see being away from her ghost friend, away from whatever strange energies surrounded her, reminded Mabel of all the horrid things she had done in the last two days. Like the good brother he was, he gave her a warm hug.

"I'm sorry. I don't even know what to say. I feel like my brain was made of jello back there or something." she weeped, though even in her tears she managed to laugh just a little.

"It's fine, Mabel. This has been a pretty crazy last few days for everybody. But friend or not, we have to put Audrey back where she belongs." Dipper told her, trying to be as serious and direct as possible with his next statement.

"And as hard as it'll be, you need to be the one to tell her. Because I know for a fact that she won't listen to me."

Mabel and Dipper finally broke off from their hug. The sweater-wearing girl wiped away a stray tear, finally coming to understand what her twin brother had been saying to her time and time again.

"This really bites. I get a ghost friend, and now I have to give her back. And all I get to keep is a memory of her once it's all said and done. What a jip." Mabel said, and Dipper could only nod in reassurance.

"But I guess I'll go tell her that she's got to go back to being a regular ghost." Mabel acknowledged, turning around to start the painful journey back up the ladder and up to where Audrey waited.

Unfortunately, she would never get the chance. Because as Mabel turned, the shadow of the paint-covered ghost girl came down over her and Dipper.

With colored anger in her eyes, Audrey's hair was raised up by strange forces as most of the art supplies from the water tower above had floated down along with her.

"You said we were friends..." Audrey began, her anger rising with each word. To see her normally docile ghost girl friend acting in such an intimidating manner unsettled Mabel quite a bit, to say the least.

"...but you LIED!" the ghost girl practically roared, her colors undulating and changing throughout her body like a tv set with a bad case of static. Paintbrushes, markers and assorted pencils pointed down towards the twins, and both of them held their breath.

"But we are friends!" Mabel tried to reassure her, though fear was quickly taking over. Suddenly Audrey didn't seem so fun and docile anymore.

She turned to Dipper, wondering what she could do. Putting her head down, Mabel said the words she knew she needed to say, but never wanted to.

"It's just that...I need to do what's right. I shouldn't have brought you here, like this, Audrey. I was only thinking of myself." Mabel admitted.

The true weight of her actions seemed to hit her most in that moment.

Stealing Dipper's journal, letting him stay trapped in a paint cage, abadoning him, misleading him; all her bad deeds towards her twin brother became quite clear, and quite painful to think about.

Audrey didn't seem to want to hear any of it, however. Her temper only flared higher.

"No, you were being a good friend! You were thinking of ME! That is, until HE got in the WAY!" she screamed in response, with such intensity that Mabel had to cover her ears.

A split-second later, paintbrushes and other art supplies flew down at Dipper like arrows, and the boy only rolled out of the way in the nick of time as Mabel put her arms over her head in sudden fear. Luckily, Audrey wasn't aiming at her.

And thought unharmed, when Dipper recovered, he found a paintbrush stuck into the front of the journal. Just the mere thought that he could have been the target put a chill in Dipper's spine.

"Audrey, stop this!" Mabel exclaimed, realizing the danger all this was putting her brother in. She gulped, knowing she'd have to be tough for this moment, for Dipper. "Stop this or I'll...I'll take back what I said! And we won't be friends anymore!"

As it expected, Audrey was completely taken aback.

Her anger seemed to disappate in an instant though, and the art supplies formerly hanging in an intidmating manner fell around her uselessly.  
As she looked down at Mabel, guaging what she said, colored tears began to well in her eyes.

Finally, the ghost girl could take it no longer. She sniffled as she spoke. "Elliot was right! You people, you living..."

"...you just want to keep making us suffer!"

And with a wail, Audrey disappeared over a few nearby pine trees, a trail of paint thinly sprinkling on the ground to mark her passing.

For a good two seconds, the twins remained silent in response to these sudden events.

But as the magnitude of the situation dawned on Mabel, she suddenly found herself on her knees, a look of sorrow on her face.

"Oh, Dipper," she whispered, trying to hold back as sob. Her brother came close, wrapping her in another hug as he tried to calm her down.

But the weight of every bad thing she had done proved to be too much for Mabel to resist.

"...what have I done?"

* * *

"This is stupid. I could be at the spa right now, instead of this dirty place."

"Just shut it, okay? I gotta get this circle right or it'll all be for nothing!"

"Whatever. Like it's even going to work! There's nothing here! No ghosts, no monsters, no Bigfoot, nothing!"

"Yeah, there is something here, you whiny little girl! But while you're too full of yourself to wait a second and listen, I'm trying to make these ghosts into our eternal servants. So why don't you be good, shut it, and just listen!"

Their arguing had gone on for a good hour now. Robbie and Pacifica Northwest had spent the afternoon trying to construct a ritual circle in the old, abandoned backstage where Gravitystock was once held in 1969, and where it would be held again in just a few days. With it, they would endeavor to control a number of ghosts and use them to do their bidding and to get their respective revenge on the Pines Twins.

Cross-referencing the journal page and its notes with other, less detailed occult materials, Robbie had gathered the components for the ritual with Pacifica by his side.

Of course, being by his side just meant she could complain the whole time while Robbie did most of the work.

Nevertheless, the process was just about done, as Robbie had extensively searched the backstage for a number of old, worn items for use as ritual totems.

As Pacifica waited nearby, arms crossed as she tapped her foot in impatience, Robbie placed these personal effects on the ground.

"Okay, we got at least ten artifacts here. Which means, ten ghosts for us to have total control over." Robbie stated, but his partner seemed not too eager to listen.

"So what? Until I see these so-called ghosts, then this all just stupid make-believe! I don't know why I agreed to this stupid plan in the first place." Pacifica stated, inspecting her finger-nails as she waited for Robbie to make some last minute adjustments.

"Yeah, I gotta wonder," Robbie asked, as he checked his watch. They had about about two minutes left until noon, and then would truly begin and complete itself. "Why did you come along again? Cause all you're doing is being a brat."

Pacifica hissed back at him with all the charm of a snake. "I'm not a brat! And to think I thought you were kind of cute!"

There was a moment of silence, before Robbie turned up from his phone. Had he just heard her right?

"Uh, what?"

Robbie might have recieved an answer, and found out that Pacifica had developed an interest in him despite her attitude, if not for the strange force that literally lifted a blushing Pacifica right off her feet.

And as Robbie watched all around him, ghosts of all shapes and sizes emerged from the walls, surrounding him as they messed with his partner, cackling and wailing all the way.

"Well, look what we got here." Elliot, his form a little wispier than usual from having to regenerate, said to his fellow ghosts. "Looks like another couple of wannabe busters."

Robbie held his hands up in immeadite defense, as two intimidating looking punk rock ghosts came down on either side of him.

"Hey, we're just chilling, that's all. We don't want any trouble." Robbie said with a nervous chuckle. "Me and my...girlfriend, yeah my girlfriend...we just need a private place to hang. Yeah, that's it!"

For a brief moment, Pacifica seemed to only blush a brighter red while in Elliot's ghostly tethers, only to become hysterical a moment later.

"Put me down, you stupid dead people! I am not someone's puppet!" Pacifica complained, but Elliot seemed to just laugh at her misery.

"Oh, we'll put you down in just a bit, darlin'." the Elvis-impersonating ghost said, before looking down at Robbie with a rictus grin. "But not before I put down your boy here. After all, his little friends gave me quite the discomfort."

Robbie could only try to back away in response to this threat, but was quickly stopped as the ghosts next to him cut him off with their invisible tethers.

With nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide, Robbie could only depend on his mental clock to save him.

And so as Elliot and the other ghosts drifted over the center of the ritual space, Robbie put his hands in his pocket, and began to laugh to himself, exhuding pure confidence.

"What's the matter, boy?" Elliot taunted, somewhat confused. "You think you can just laugh us off, just like that? Sorry to burst your bubble, but it ain't that easy."

The guant teen ignored the ghost's words, and his smile only seemed to grow wider as a single beam of sunlight touched the center of the circle from the outside.

By the time the ghosts looked down, it was already too late.

"You guys are so stupid." Robbie commented, before Elliot dropped Pacifica and a look of panic came over him.

And as she ran over towards Robbie, and clung to him in complete and utter fear, the ghosts shrieked as the ritual began, and the binding process overtook them.

Colors and lights flashed violently in the center of the ritual circle as ten seperate ghosts were binded to the material world into ten seperate objects.

Robbie watched in triumph as his plan came to fruition, while Pacifica could only bury her head in his hoodie and wait for the horror to end.

When the noise and commotion finally stopped, Robbie and Pacifica were presented with ten ghosts, now much more solid and made of the very materials used to bind them as servants to the material world.

Elliot himself was no longer his wispy, blue self, but made of the black, shiny surface of the very record he had used before to torture Dipper.

He looked at his own hands, and when he saw his new, physical form, pure anger formed on his face.

But when he tried to force his anger and strength of will onto Robbie and Pacifica, he found that nothing he tried worked.

For a good minute, the ghosts tried to push their will on the two, but it was like they could do nothing at all. Robbie simply laughed as Paicifica finally let go of him, suddenly more curious than afraid.

And when she noticed the ghosts could do nothing to her either, she also could not help but smile with some modicum of triumph.

"What...what did you do to us!?" Elliot exclaimed, as Robbie pulled out the page from the journal as if it was an undeniable truth.

"Just used something called my brain. And now, you dumb ghosts serve me." he declared.

"Hey!" Pacifica shouted, clearly ticked off at his sudden ego boost.

"Uh." Robbie added, having forgotten her until just know, too absorbed in himself. "And you serve her too, I guess."

Pacifica smiled evilly, before pointing at a thin, wiry ghost of an old man. "You! Carry me as if I was your queen! Do it now!"

And, quite compelled through the ritual, the ghost could do nothing but comply. A smiling Pacifica suddenly felt on top of the world the moment she could feel her invisble "throne" now holding her up quite comfortably.

"So this is what you plan on doing with us, boy? Turning us into your personal slaves? Haven't you dumb living made us all suffer enough?" Elliot accused, but Robbie wouldn't have any of it.

"Oh, quit your whining. I've got something in mind for you ghosts. Something special. And maybe, just maybe, if you do it right, I'll let you go back to this little haunt of yours." he told them, offering them a choice with all the charm of a bargaining demon.

The ghosts looked back at one another with worried faces. Clearly, they didn't seem to have many options.

"What must we do?" Elliot asked, trying to sound as sincere as possible even though he very much wanted to squish Robbie like a bug.

The gaunt teen smiled, as Pacifica remained oblivious to everything, too enamored with her new place of power.

"I want you to all go to the Mystery Shack tonight..." he said, narrowing his eyes as sweet revenge oozed through his voice.

"...and I want you to wipe it off the face of Gravity Falls!"

* * *

**Oh man! The suspense thickens! Can Mabel, Dipper, Wendy and Soos survive a ghostly assault on the Shack? And what of Audrey? Will she ever go back to where she truly belongs?**

**Guess you'll all just have to wait till next chapter to find out!**


	6. Part 6

**New chapter, coming atcha again! This one was quite the blast to write. The suspense continues, as Dipper and Mabel get themselves involved in way more than they bargained for. But I don't have to tell you. Read, review and enjoy!**

* * *

The return to the Shack was certainly not the happiest of affairs, to say the least.

Dipper may have had a surprising sleepover with his big crush, but he still felt frustrated. After all, he'd only just reconciled with his sister, causing an angry ghost girl to nearly kill him with projectile paintbrushes in the process.

And Mabel might have actually found a way to give the formerly untouchable Audrey a semblance of life, only to find out later that the girl had a serious issue with her temper. Faced with this problem, the normally upbeat and enthusiastic Mabel was noticeably sour when she and her brother finally got back to the Mystery Shack.

Of course, they had no idea what was in store for them, and just how long this night would turn out to be.

"Hey dudes!" Soos exclaimed with a happy wave, as he continued his diligent, though poor job of mopping the gift shop floor.

"Hey Soos." the twins said in unison, their voices giving the impression that all happiness had been beaten out of them.

Dipper glanced towards the counter, but there was no Wendy to give a thumbs up to, and the momentary happiness that might have come up with such an act was nowhere to be found.

It was as if all giddiness and energy in the twins had been drained from them by a positive-energy vampire, as Soos watched with puppy-dog eyes as Mabel began banging her head against the wall in sorrow.

"Okay, dudes. What's up? You gotta be totally sightless to not see something's going on with you guys." Soos asked, quite concerned as their mutual friend.

"Don't ask. Just please, don't ask." Mabel replied between the thumps that signified her hitting her forehead against the wall again and again.

Dipper meanwhile, had other things on his mind, though his voice was still quite dour. "Take it from her. It's been a pretty tiring day. You know where Wendy is?"

"Last I saw her she was cleaning the upstairs toilet. Waddles, uh..." Soos began, his tone becoming uneasy. "...he didn't eat that whole pizza pie like we'd bet he would. Well, he did, but he didn't really keep it down for long."

In any other situation, Mabel might have run to the aide of her precious pig, calming him and making sure he was no longer ill.

But the sadness of losing Audrey was clouding her mind too much, and Mabel did little more than groan in response as she continued to bang her head.

Dipper, meanwhile, was quick to realize that Wendy could probably use some cheering up. After all, cleaning up after a pig that had eaten, or at least tried to eat, a pie of pizza, was probably not the most pleasant of activities.

So as Dipper made his way upstairs to find Wendy, Soos simply watched him go, and turned his gaze back to the still grieving Mabel.

"Hey, dude, cheer up." Soos said, still half-mopping as he put a friendly hand on Mabel's shoulder. She didn't even attempt to respond.

Every time she looked at the wall of the gift shop, all she saw was the Royal Dolphin she and Audrey were supposed to paint together. That dream was gone with her now.

Soos couldn't stand the silence of a friend for very long. He put on a somewhat sly tone as he tried to cheer her up.

"You know, Mr. Pines is gone for the night. He just up and left, dude. Said he had to get some friends for the Gravitystock thing on Thursday..."

Mabel did manage to glance back at him this time, struggling to not look too depressed for her own good.

"He won't be back till tomorrow..." Soos added, his voice stillsly. "...and remember that thing you always wanted to do? If there was a time to do it, the time would be now."

"You mean..?" Mabel asked, her voice suddenly aglow with just a glimmer of happiness, as she remembered that one, awesome act she'd been waiting so long to do.

Soos fixed his hat, and smiled at her with confidence. "Yup. There's no time like this time, Mabel Pines."

* * *

Wendy felt like such a moron.

She groaned as she struggled to clean the remnants of the pizza that Waddles had unfortunately not been able to stomach. Dreading the fact that for once she was being forced to actually work, Wendy sighed as she scrubbed down the toilet seat of the Shack's upstairs bathroom.

Clearly, unmentionables like these would not be gone so easily.

If she had not been so annoyed, so aggravated by having to do actual work that required actual effort, then Wendy might have heard the sound of clinking glass above.

But too engrossed in her current task, she failed to notice the undulating black fragments of an old record, which made their way into the room through the nooks and crannies in the timber. By the time Wendy stood up from her finished work, wiping sweat off her forehead, a black mass of broken shards was growing ominously behind her.

"Jeez, this really bites. That bet totally was not worth the laugh." Wendy remarked to herself as she inspected the surface of the now seemingly spotless toilet.

"Don't tell my you're already betting, little missy. A pretty girl like yourself shouldn't get involved in that business..."

The voice behind her had a significantly strong drawl to it, but a somewhat surprised Wendy nevertheless didn't turn around, and just put on a knowing smile as she listened. "...after all, I would know. Was a gambler myself once."

The red-head chuckled. "Okay, Dipper. That's a pretty good impression, but come on, you seriously think you're gonna get me with that?"

Of course, Wendy turned with the intention of seeing a shorter Dipper, before she'd playfully punch him in the arm to prove his joke was in vain.

Instead, she found herself face to face with a much taller, blackened being, who crinkled with the sound of glass every time he moved. His face showed some distinct features, a missing eye, and a glimmering pompadour that jutted out from the top of his head.

The now corporeal form of Elliot smiled down at Wendy, clearly amused. Wendy practically froze in fear.

"Oh...excuse me! Were you just about to use the toilet? Cause I can be out of your way in a flash." she croaked, before laughing nervously in an attempt to clear tension from the air.

Of course, she wanted to scream and run out of there like a maniac, but having had experience with this kind of thing had taught Wendy that perhaps talking could save her.

"Oh, I'm not really needing to use the john, missy." Elliot said, leaning in close to a clearly scared Wendy. His rictus grin seemed all the more unpleasant now that it was made of broken record shards.

With enough time to look at his face, Wendy recognized this was the same ghost she had blasted earlier. She knew exactly why he might be enjoying this so much.

"I think it would just be polite of me to tell you that this little Shack of yours is gonna be gone soon; you and your little ghost-busting friends gone with it." he said, and though he sounded courteous Wendy knew it was all a game to him.

Wendy tried to back away, but obviously she ran out of retreat space when she hit the toilet behind her. "Gone? Why would you want me gone? I could be a lot of use to you! Yeah, I could totally do anything you want."

Elliot smiled, and there was something quite devious and wrong with this particular smile. He placed a sharp, black finger under Wendy's chin, bring her ever so slightly forward.

"Anything, huh? Well, missy, maybe I can come with a few things..."

Wendy didn't know whether to cry or to scream. Either way, she could only close her eyes, and hope that this vengeful ghost would be merciful with her.

"Hey!" came the voice of none other than Dipper, who stood next to the ajar bathroom door defiantly.

Clearly, he had no intention of going anywhere.

"Leave her alone! If you want her, you're going to have to go through me!" he declared, with all the bravery he could muster.

Wendy might have chuckled at his valiant attempt, but in a serious situation like this, she knew better. In fact, she was a little flattered that Dipper had actually come in to rescue her like some knight in shining armor.

After all, boys rarely did that kind of thing for her, mostly because she disliked it, but also because those she had dated had proven to be a bunch of cowards.

So every time Dipper did this sort of thing, Wendy had to admit to herself that she kind of liked it.

"You really want to play the hero game, boy?" Elliot taunted, his broken record form undulating with crackles as he moved away from Wendy and around Dipper. Like some sort of big, black glass snake, he spun around Dipper, just far away enough that his sharp edges wouldn't hurt the boy, but just close enough that they would if Dipper tried to escape.

"I'm not...I'm not afraid of you!" Dipper practically choked out, as the now corporeal ghost played with him like a snake might play with its prey.

But as it seemed that Dipper's bravery was about to cost him, Wendy had managed to shake off her own fears as she reached into the broom closet, picking out the heaviest thing she could find.

A thumping noise alerted Elliot to her presence.

"Hey, lay off him, or I'll break you like a window." the red-head threatened, but Elliot laughed before towering over her with his sharp, glimmering form.

"With those, scrawny little arms, missy? I'd like to see you try."

But as Elliot laughed, Wendy just smiled to herself as she unveiled the heavy sledgehammer from behind her back.

"Oh, I can try alright." Wendy declared, stopping Elliot's laughter.

He didn't even have time to so much scream as Wendy swung the sledgehammer with all her might, shattering a great portion of the broken records making up Elliot's form into dust.

As Wendy and Dipper covered their eyes from the spray, Elliot roared in what sounded like great pain.

The red-headed teen was quick to act, grabbing Dipper by the arm and pulling him to come with her as Elliot reeled from the blow.

A moment later, while the two quickly retreated down the stairs, Dipper was so impressed he had almost forgotten to blink.

"Where...where did you learn that? Because that..." Dipper's said, his breath barely catching up with his excitement. "...that was amazing!"

Wendy smiled, flattered again. "Well, I figured chopping down trees with my dad would come in handy someday. Too bad you couldn't have recorded that or something."

"I wish." Dipper declared, before clearing his throat and trying to sound more sincere as they neared the bottom of the stairs. His pre-teen mind suddenly conjured the most meaningful thing he could say to his crush at a time like this.

"You're the most incredible girl I've ever met, Wendy. I just want you to know that."

The red-headed girl stopped them at the bottom of the stairs. Smiling at Dipper, she leaned down and gave the boy a well-earned kiss on the cheek.

"And you're too sweet for your own good. Let's just hope you don't grow out of it."

Turning to the nearby off-limits security room, Wendy disappeared inside as Dipper felt his cheek with a grin pasted on his face.

When she reappeared, one of the old "proton-packs" was on her back, and Dipper's model was in her arms.

The red-head put on her serious face. "Now...are we gonna let these ghosts take the Shack or what? Cause I'll tell you, I like goofing off at work, and I really don't feel like giving that up for a bunch of dumb ghosts."

Dipper nodded, before taking the device from her and putting it on. As he set it to active, he could feel courage pumping through his veins.

"With Grunkle Stan gone, what else can we do? As Mabel would say..."

Wendy activated her device right on cue.

"...it's busting time."

* * *

"Back! Back I say!" Soos declared as he pointed the wet mop in front of him as makeshift weapon. Surprisingly, the wooden ghost he was fighting was hesitant to get any close, fearing the water on the mop that might soften his delicate form.

But as Soos fought a seemingly winning battle, Mabel had her own problems. She batted away with a broom at solid spectres, who each had used their new material forms to gain access to the Shack and begin their ghostly assault upon it.

"Ugh, why ghosts have to attack the Shack now!? Every time I hit one, it's like I'm hitting Audrey!" Mabel complained, more annoyed than aware of the danger of these ghosts now invading the gift shop.

Soos seemed diligent in his defense, waving his mop around like a pro as ghosts made of water soluble materials backed away from him in fear. "Destiny waits for no dude, dude! It looks like our ghost-busting hour has come at last!"

Mabel slammed the broom down on an old-looking ghost, seemingly made of lint and dust. She coughed and covered her eyes as the particles burst into the air.

"I don't care about destiny!" Mabel declared, trying to get the dust away from her eyes and nose. "I didn't want any of this! I just wanted a friend! Is that so much to ask for?"

Soos lanced his mop forward, the soggy surface effectively cutting right through one ghost made of newspaper.

"Destiny doesn't wait for friends, dude."

If he had been given the opportunity, Soos might have thrown out another epic one-liner, and Mabel might have responded with another complaint. But when one of the quicker ghosts finally used its tethers to snatch the mop out of Soos's hands, things started to look grim.

And when Mabel and Soos were backing into each other, Mabel's broom now stuck and broken in the body of a ghost made of brick, things only seemed to become more grim.

The two gulped, before Mabel made a nervous laugh as tried to dispel the approaching spectres.

"Come on, guys, we don't really have to fight like this, do we? You know, our uncle's away, and we could totally give you some awesome discounts on the stuff here." she offered, but the ghosts seemed to ignore her and continued to surround them.

"Yeah dudes," Soos added, trying to back Mabel up. "Who wouldn't want useless knick-knacks and knock-offs at curiously over-priced prices?"

The ghosts remained silent. Mabel glanced towards the far corner, where the window lay removed from the far wall.

She couldn't help but feel stupid now. If she and Soos hadn't decided to do their infamous "window-surfing" stunt tonight, all because Grunkle Stan was out, then maybe these ghosts wouldn't have had such an easy entrance.

"I think this might be it, Soos." Mabel told him sadly, as the man-child struggled not to whimper.

"But I don't want to be a ghost, dude. I'm too young!"

Hidden among the colors of the upper ceiling, a spying Audrey could not help but narrow her eyes in response to Soos's declaration.

Here she was, refusing to help her former friend. Too angry with Mabel's brother, too confused on whether to choose life or death, Audrey just felt content watching as events unfolded.

She replayed Soos's words in his head. Too young to be a ghost, he thought.

No one was too young to be a ghost. And Audrey herself was unfortunate proof of that.

It all seemed over for Mabel and Soos below, as the ghosts closed the distance and surrounded them completely.

One of the six ghosts reached a worn, wooden hand towards Mabel, and as she could feel her entire body being lifted from the ground, she wondered if this really was all her fault.

But the sweater-wearing girl had little time to think about her own mistakes, as a strong gust of wind blasted apart the ghost that had been attempting to carry Mabel away. Mabel dropped down onto her bottom, reacting to a quick sting but otherwise unharmed.

The ghosts looked to the right in unison, and standing in the doorway were none other than Wendy and Dipper, each armed with their respective ghost busting "proton-packs."

Soos smiled like a fanboy, and Mabel herself could feel wave of relief as the ghosts seemed to back away at the threat of the sudden newcomers.

"Keep your hands off my sister." Dipper declared, feeling quite heroic now that he had a weapon in hand. To make sure his point was taken, he and Wendy shot out another blast of pressurized air in unison.

The shots tore through one ghost made of newspaper, and violently knocked the brick ghost into one of his softer companions.

But that sound of crushed glass making its way down the steps was enough to remind Dipper and Wendy that these beings would not go down so easily.

"Into the living room, guys!" Wendy ordered. Dipper and her provided covering fire, keeping the ghosts back as Soos and Mabel escaped through the gap in their circle.

And just as Elliot showed his face at the bottom of the stairs, clearly angry at Wendy for smashing him with a sledgehammer, she and Dipper had already retreated into the living room.

Quickly, Wendy shut the door, while Mabel, Soos and Dipper checked all and any entrances into the living room, locking and closing them accordingly.

Finally, Mabel was left huffing as she shut one of the windows, which had been stuck for a good minute before finally agreeing to be closed.

"Dudes, this is totally like this one movie I saw." Soos said, breaking the silence between them.

"I don't know if this is the best time for references, Soos." Dipper replied, as he and Wendy pushed Grunkle Stan's chair into the door to keep it blocked.

But the rapping, pushing and scratching from the other side signified it wouldn't hold for long.

Mabel sank to floor, a frown on her face. "Oh, why does everything have to be so complicated? All I wanted was a new friend. I didn't want any of this."

A loud, rough push alarmed Dipper and Wendy that the ghosts were forcing their way against the door, and the two of them put their backs into keeping it from budging.

"I don't get it. How did they even get here in the first place? I thought that they couldn't leave the grounds!" Dipper asked, using all the strength in his little arms to hold his position against the opposing force on the other side of the door.

"Maybe they got evicted." Wendy joked, her attempt at lessening the tension helping Dipper feel better, if only a tiny bit.

"Maybe...maybe someone else did the ritual!" Mabel suddenly said in realization.

Dipper raised a questioning eyebrow. "Someone else? But who? Who would want to do something like this?"

Suddenly, the pushing on the other side stopped. Dipper and Wendy looked at one another as they realized there was no longer an opposing force. For a moment, the group could feel something akin to hope.

But as Soos looked on, he was reminded of their true plight as the television in the room suddenly switched on. Loud static could be heard for a few seconds, before the screen became a cold blue and the noise stopped entirely.

Soos gulped, backing away from the television. "I told you, dudes. This part was in the movie too!"

Dipper felt a chill down his spine. "Oh, this can't be good..."

There was a sound of rushing air, and then, a second of silence.

A moment later, blue light exploded with great intensity out of the television set, creating a vortex that dragged everyone towards it with the power of whirlpool.

The group screamed in unison as they resisted the pull, grabbing onto anything they could to try and hold on.

But while Mabel and Soos managed to find anchors on the heavy couch, Dipper found himself holding onto Grunkle Stan's chair as Wendy's longer body betrayed her and allowed her to get caught up in the suction.

Everything he had gone through with her flashed before Dipper's eyes, as Wendy was but a heart beat away from being dragged to parts unknown through the television.

Whether it was adrenaline, love, or a mix of both, Dipper shot a single arm out, allowing Wendy to grab onto it just before she would have reached the event horizon.

Pain coursed through his tiny arm, and Dipper felt muscles rip that he had never thought he had, but he still held on with all his might.

Soon enough though, he could feel his grip starting to give way. Wendy's hands began to slip off his arm, and tears welled in Dipper's eyes as he forced himself to keep her with him.

For a moment, all might have seemed lost, as Wendy was slipping past his fingers and towards the nothingness in the portal through the television beyond.

But as quickly as it came, the phenomenon suddenly stopped.

In an instant, everyone fell to the floor as the suction ceased, and the television's cold blue light dimmed to darkness.

Dipper's chest was heaving, and as Wendy sat up, he lost control of his emotions, using the fact they were about the same height now to wrap her in a tight embrace.

Words didn't seem necessary. Mabel and Soos understood the silence as Wendy hugged Dipper back as the pre-teen let out uncontrollable tears.

But he wouldn't have much time to cry, as Mabel took a look out the window and gasped.

"Oh my gosh...Dipper! Dipper, come look!"

Slowly, her twin brother detached from Wendy, who told him with but a look that he was needed elsewhere. Wiping his eyes, they would widen in shock a moment later as he saw what his sister had just seen.

Dipper narrowed his eyes, and suddenly, all sadness was replaced with anger. "That cuts it, Mabel. I'm ready to kick some butt if you are."

Mabel's own expression seemed equally serious. "You know it, brother. They've had it coming for awhile, now."

Dipper pushed up one of his sleeves. The muscles in his one arm hurt so much, but he figured he could stand it a little longer.

"Well they're not walking away from this one. They mess with the Shack, they're messing with our summer."

* * *

"Okay, okay, you were right." Pacifica admitted, much to Robbie's pleasure.

"See?" the gaunt teen replied, feeling on top of the world in one of the two lounging chairs their ghost slaves had brought out for them. "Listen to me, and everything ends up going our way.

He pointed towards the Mystery Shack, showing Pacifica the obvious sight of ten separate ghosts now surrounding it. The ghosts eemed to have shed their once-physical forms, now channeling some energy that slowly crept on the building from the outside.

"You see that?" Robbie pointed out, sipping on a soda through a straw. "Just give it a little time, and they'll do exactly what I said; wipe the Shack off the face of this town. Dipper and Mabel aren't gonna be a problem much longer."

Pacifica couldn't help but smile deviously at thought of Mabel being sucked away into some horrible place.

When she glanced at the relaxed Robbie beside her though, she suddenly realized how much she was actually enjoying his company.

So as the ghosts continued their ritual, she couldn't help but pop a question.

"So was that just a total joke back there..." she mentioned, sounding somewhat uneasy through her confidence. "...or are you really my boyfriend now?"

Robbie spit out a gout of soda as he looked towards a stalwart Pacifica. Not knowing what to immediately say, he gave her an awkward chuckle in response.

"What? Ah, well, that's kind of complicated." he replied.

Pacifica crossed her arms in disapproval. "Complicated how? What, am I not good enough for you or something?"

Robbie, suddenly feeling attacked, put his hands out in front of him defensively. "You're just kind of young for me, okay? And plus, I just got out of a big break-up!"

Pacifica turned away, clearly getting madder by the second. "Ugh, you boys are always thinking only about yourselves! You should be thinking of me! What about what I want? Isn't that important enough for you?

If given more time, Robbie might have tried to coax Pacifica into a better mood. After all, having a complacent, happy partner in crime was better than having a frustrated, angry one.

But an unexpected voice alerted him and Pacifica, temporarily ending their argument.

"Awww, you're so cute together. So cute I want to barf!" Mabel exclaimed, her arms crossed as Dipper stood beside her, fists closed as he struggled to keep his rage down.

"I knew you were a jerk, Robbie, but even I didn't think you'd go this far!" Dipper stated, as Robbie and Pacifica looked back at him in Mabel, and suddenly their position of power on the outside wasn't quite so powerful anymore.

Robbie laughed off his words, however. "What are you talking about, pipsqueak? Are you just mad because Wendy doesn't date twelve-year olds? You've got nothing on me."

"Oh really?" Mabel said, before running over to Pacifica and pulling out the sheet from the journal that she'd been sitting on the whole time. "Then what's this?"

A surprised Pacifica backed up in her chair. "Hey! Keep your hands to yourself, loser!"

Mabel handed Dipper the torn page, who inspected it before looking up at Robbie with serious eyes.

"So what is this then, Robbie? Playing around with the departed, I see? Making them your slaves?" Dipper accused, as he and his sister's parted to show Pacifica and Robbie the ghosts surrounding the Shack.

What they revealed was ten spirits slowly shedding their physical forms, the excess energy leak returning them to their original forms and contributing to their effort in wiping the Mystery Shack off the face of the material world.

Robbie put his hands behind his head, leaning back and laughing again.

"So what? It's not like you can do anything about it."

Dipper narrowed his eyes. "That's where you're wrong."

He hopped up, and landed hard on Robbie's chest. Grabbing the teen by his long nose and pulling him forward, Dipper stared him straight in the eyes.

He didn't need Rumble this time, and he didn't need to be a teenager either. This was it: it was just him and Robbie, here and now.

"Remember the fight we never got to finish? Well, it's time we finish it." Dipper told Robbie, courage seeping through his voice.

"That is, unless you're too afraid to fight a twelve-year old."

* * *

**Poltergeist references, yes?**

**Anyway, the final confrontation is on the horizon! Ghosts taking over the Mystery Shack! Dipper and Mabel vs. Robbie and Pacifica? Who will win? Who will come out on top? I guess you'll all have to stay tuned to find out!**


End file.
